(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The governing Conservative party remains on top in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by the Toronto Star. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories, while 31 per cent would support the opposition Liberal party.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The governing Conservative party remains on top in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by the Toronto Star. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories, while 31 per cent would support the opposition Liberal party.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) is third with 15 per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois with nine per cent, and the Green party with eight per cent. Support for the Tories fell by five points in a week, while backing for the Grits increased by nine points.
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 assembled 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.
On Nov. 27, the federal government presented its financial update, which included a controversial measure to scrap the existing public financing system for political parties. Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty later stated that an economic stimulus package would be presented on Jan. 27, 2009—along with the new budget—but the opposition was expected to defeat the government in a confidence motion.
On Dec. 1, outgoing Liberal leader Stéphane Dion announced that a deal to assemble a coalition government with the NDP and the support of the Bloc had been reached. On Dec. 5, Harper asked Canadian governor general Michaëlle Jean to prorogue Parliament until late January 2009, thereby avoiding the opposition’s confidence motion to be put to a vote. The governor general agreed to the prime minister’s request.
On Dec. 8, Dion—who was supposed to step down in May 2009—resigned. On Dec. 10, deputy leader Michael Ignatieff officially took over as the new Liberal leader.
On Dec. 11, Ignatieff discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "I think the Canadian people are sending us all a message that it’s time for us to listen. Mr. Harper didn’t listen to the opposition, he lost the confidence of the House of Commons, he’s unable to govern without the confidence of the House of Commons, so it’s time that he sat down. (…) I haven’t seen him do much listening so it will be interesting to see if he starts now."
Polling Data
If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?
|
Dec. 12 |
Dec. 6 |
|
|
Conservative |
37% |
42% |
|
Liberal |
31% |
22% |
|
New Democratic Party |
15% |
18% |
|
Bloc Québécois |
9% |
10% |
|
Green |
8% |
7% |
|
Other |
0% |
1% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies / Toronto Star
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,004 Canadian adults, conducted on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
Other findings:
Preferred Prime Minister: Ignatieff 28%, Harper 27%, Layton 10%, May 3%, Duceppe 2%
Momentum Scores: Harper -39, Layton -27, May -10, Duceppe -3, Ignatieff -1
Harper leads Ignatieff in several qualities and characteristics
Complete Poll (PDF)
