November 22, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A third of Canadian adults believe the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) would be a competent head of government, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 34 per cent of respondents think Jack Layton would make a good prime minister.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A third of Canadian adults believe the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) would be a competent head of government, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 34 per cent of respondents think Jack Layton would make a good prime minister.

In addition, 23 per cent of respondents think Liberal leader Stéphane Dion would make a good prime minister, while 14 per cent feel the same way about Green leader Elizabeth May.

Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. 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. Harper leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

Layton became the NDP’s leader in January 2003. He was elected to the House of Commons in June 2004, winning the Toronto-Danforth constituency. In August 2006, Sierra Club of Canada head May became the new leader of the Greens. In December 2006, former environment minister Dion became the new leader of the Liberals.

In April, Dion and May announced an agreement in a joint statement, which read: "Out of respect for each other and out of our shared commitment to a greener Canada, we are not running candidates in each other’s ridings."

On Nov. 19, Layton discussed his party’s chances in the next election, saying, "We’re going to run an $18-million campaign and match the Liberals and Conservatives for the first time in history. (The Liberals) are afraid of their own shadow. They have no capacity to lead. They can’t stand up. My advice to them is: Stand up, one way or the other."

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

	Agree	Disagree	Not sure
Jack Layton would make a good prime minister of Canada	34%	45%	21%
Stéphane Dion would make a good prime minister of Canada	23%	61%	17%
Elizabeth May would make a good prime minister of Canada	14%	48%	38%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,019 Canadian adults, conducted on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 2007. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.

 

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