(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A majority of Canadian voters had made up their minds about which party to support before the 2008 federal election campaign began, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 54 per cent of respondents decided which party to vote for prior to the start of the campaign.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A majority of Canadian voters had made up their minds about which party to support before the 2008 federal election campaign began, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 54 per cent of respondents decided which party to vote for prior to the start of the campaign.
Conversely, 15 per cent of respondents decided on election day, 12 per cent selected a party after the televised leaders debates on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, and 15 per cent made their choice before the debates.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Oct. 14. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 37.6 per cent of the vote, and secured 143 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper will assemble a minority administration. The Tories also earned a minority mandate after the 2006 election, ending more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
The Liberals have formed 23 of Canada’s 39 federal governments since 1867. In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberal party. In the 2008 election, the Liberals garnered 26.2 per cent of the vote—the party’s second worst total in history—and 76 seats. Dion has since announced he is stepping down as leader.
Yesterday, former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna announced that he would not seek the federal Liberal leadership, declaring, "Although I have been deeply moved by expressions of support for me from across the country, I have not been persuaded to change my long-standing resolve to exit public life for good. My only regret is that I cannot honour the expectations of friends and supporters who have shown enormous loyalty to me."
Polling Data
When did you decide which party to vote for?
|
On election day |
15% |
|
After the leaders debates |
12% |
|
Before the leaders debates |
15% |
|
Before the campaign began |
54% |
|
Not sure |
4% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 908 Canadian adults who voted in the 2008 federal election, conducted on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3.2 per cent.
Complete Poll (PDF)
