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Tories Hold Two-Point Advantage in Canada
- The governing Conservative party remains the most popular political organization in Canada, according to a poll by Decima Research released by the Canadian Press. 32 per cent of respondents would support the Tories in the next federal election.
The Liberal party is second with 30 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 15 per cent, the Bloc Québécois with 11 per cent, and the Green party with 10 per cent. Support for the Tories fell by two points since early September, while backing for the NDP increased by one point.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Since February, Harper leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
On Oct. 25, Harper urged all parties to support his proposed crime legislation, saying, "Canadians elected this Parliament—not just the Conservative party. They expected all parties to be tough on crime. I don't think Canadians think house arrest for break and enter or for auto theft is good enough."
Liberal lawmaker and former justice minister Irwin Cotler discussed the situation, saying, "We're not saying the bill should not have any mandatory minimums. But the nature and the scope of the mandatory minimums, as proposed by this government, undercut the very purposes of the legislation."
Polling Data
What party would you vote for in the next federal election?
Oct. 16 | Sept. 4 | Aug. 13 | |
Conservative | 32% | 34% | 36% |
Liberal | 30% | 30% | 29% |
New Democratic Party | 15% | 14% | 15% |
Bloc Québécois | 11% | 11% | 10% |
Green | 10% | 10% | 7% |
Source: Decima Research / Canadian Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,038 Canadian adults, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 16, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.