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Canada Election 2006: Bloc Way Ahead in Quebec
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The separatist Bloc Québécois is by far the most popular federal political party in Canada's largest province, according to a poll by CROP published in La Presse. 53 per cent of respondents in Quebec would support the Bloc in next month's election to the House of Commons.
The Liberal party is second with 23 per cent, followed by the Conservative party with 13 per cent, and the New Democratic Party with nine per cent. Canadians will elect a new government on Jan. 23, 2006.
The province of Quebec sends 75 lawmakers to Canada's 308-member House of Commons. In the June 2004 election, the Bloc secured 54 seats in the country's lower house.
This year, the Canadian government and the Liberal party have been affected by the public inquiry into the federal sponsorship program initiated during the tenure of prime minister Jean Chrétien to promote Canada in Quebec. In February 2004, auditor-general Sheila Fraser concluded that approximately $75 million U.S. of the program's budget was paid to Liberal-friendly advertising firms for little or no work. The inquiry report exonerated current prime minister Paul Martin—who acted as finance minister during Chrétien's tenure—from "any blame for carelessness or misconduct."
Yesterday in Montreal, Bloc leader Giles Duceppe entertained the idea that even as Quebec remains a part of Canada, the province should field its own ice hockey team in international competitions. The party would also favour a tax cut program that reduces levies on specific products such as clothes and children's books.
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the federal election?
Bloc Québécois | 53% |
Liberal | 23% |
Conservative | 13% |
New Democratic Party | 9% |
Source: CROP / La Presse
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,006 Quebec adults, conducted from Nov. 17 to Nov. 26, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.