(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Conservative Party remains ahead of its rivals in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 35 per cent of respondents would support the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The Conservative Party remains ahead of its rivals in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 35 per cent of respondents would support the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons.
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 11 per cent, and the Greens with seven 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.
In late December, the federal government announced that the legislative branch would suspend its activities until March 2010. The decision led to public protests and extensive condemnation from the opposition.
On Apr. 9, Canadian minister of state for the status of women Helena Guergis resigned from cabinet. Published reports have suggested that Guergis may have allowed her husband, former Conservative lawmaker Rahim Jaffer, to use her parliamentary office to conduct commercial business.
On Apr. 14, Harper discussed the situation, saying, "I have received information that involves serious allegations about the former minister’s comportment. That is why the minister resigned and the information was given to the authorities."
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?
|
Apr. 29
|
Mar. 26
|
Feb. 26
|
Jan. 26
|
|
|
Conservative
|
35%
|
35%
|
33%
|
34%
|
|
Liberal
|
28%
|
29%
|
29%
|
30%
|
|
New Democratic Party
|
19%
|
20%
|
20%
|
18%
|
|
Bloc Québécois
|
11%
|
9%
|
9%
|
9%
|
|
Green
|
7%
|
7%
|
9%
|
8%
|
|
Other
|
1%
|
0%
|
1%
|
1%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,014 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 28 and Apr. 29, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
