(08/13/10) -

Canadian Tories Lose Steam, Liberals Gain Ground

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Canada’s governing Conservative Party has lost popularity and is seeing its main opponent get closer, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 33 per cent of respondents would support the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons, down three points since early July.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Canada’s governing Conservative Party has lost popularity and is seeing its main opponent get closer, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 33 per cent of respondents would support the Tories in the next election to the House of Commons, down three points since early July.

The Liberal Party is a close second with 29 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 19 per cent, the Bloc Québécois with 10 per cent, and the Greens with nine 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 Aug. 11, Ignatieff criticized the Harper government’s approach to issues in Canada’s far north while visiting Iqaluit, declaring, "The words from the prime minister are there. But not the action. There’s an infrastructure gap, a housing gap, there’s a self-government gap that he hasn’t closed."

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?

Complete Poll (PDF)