(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Canada’s governing Conservative Party begins this year with a drop in popularity, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons, down two points since December.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Canada’s governing Conservative Party begins this year with a drop in popularity, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons, down two points since December.
The opposition Liberal Party is second with 28 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 19 per cent, the Bloc Québécois with nine per cent, and the Greens with eight per cent.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons in October 2008. 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. In December, Michael Ignatieff took over as Liberal leader, replacing Stéphane Dion.
On Dec. 30, government spokesman Dimitri Soudas announced that the legislative branch would suspend its activities until March 2010, adding, "This is quite routine but it is also important to give Canadians an overview of where we will be taking the country over the next little while." The measure has proven controversial.
Yesterday, parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page said that Canada is facing a "structural deficit," and urged the government to act fast to fix the situation, saying, "Deal with it now when it’s still a small problem." Page added that Canada will carry a deficit of close to $18.5 billion U.S. in 2013-2014.
The next election to the House of Commons is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 15, 2012. Sitting prime ministers can dissolve Parliament and call an early ballot at their discretion. In order to trigger an election, all three opposition parties in the House of Commons—Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois—would have to defeat the government in a no-confidence motion.
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?
|
|
Jan. 13 |
Dec. 10 |
Nov. 16 |
Oct. 24 |
|
Conservative |
34% |
36% |
38% |
40% |
|
Liberal |
28% |
29% |
23% |
26% |
|
New Democratic Party |
19% |
16% |
17% |
17% |
|
Bloc Québécois |
9% |
11% |
11% |
9% |
|
Green |
8% |
6% |
10% |
7% |
|
Other |
1% |
1% |
1% |
2% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,077 Canadian adults, conducted on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
