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Canadians Not Sold on Dion as Prime Minister
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Canadian adults appear uneasy about the possibility of the current Liberal party leader becoming their head of government, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by CTV. Only 25 per cent of respondents are comfortable with Dion becoming prime minister.
Still, Canadians are disappointed with the way the Conservative minority government has handled the current financial situation. 53 per cent of respondents think the Tories have not done a good job in dealing with the economic crisis, and 75 per cent call on the federal administration to implement a stimulus package to boost the economy as soon as possible.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Oct. 14. 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.
The Liberals have formed 23 of Canada’s 40 federal governments since 1867. In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberal party. In the 2008 election, the Liberals garnered 26.2 per cent of the vote—the party’s second worst total in history—and 76 seats. Dion has since announced he is stepping down as leader.
On Nov. 27, the federal government presented its financial update, which included a controversial measure to scrap the existing public financing system for political parties. Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty later stated that an economic stimulus package would be presented on Jan. 27, 2009—along with the new budget—but the opposition is expected to defeat the government in a confidence motion on Dec. 8.
On Dec. 1, Dion announced that a deal to assemble a coalition government with the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the support of the Bloc Québécois had been reached. 57 per cent of respondents are worried about the Bloc becoming involved in the federal government.
NDP leader Jack Layton discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "The government has lost confidence. It has lost the confidence of the people of Canada, and the confidence of this Parliament. (...) We have not made these decisions lightly, we will take the prudent and responsible and effective steps necessary steps to meet the fiscal and economic challenges of this time."
Polling Data
Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
|
Agree |
Disagree |
Not sure |
|
|
I would be comfortable with Stéphane Dion becoming Canada’s prime minister |
25% |
64% |
10% |
|
I am worried about the Bloc Québécois becoming involved in the federal government |
57% |
30% |
13% |
|
The Conservative government has done a good job in dealing with the economic crisis |
36% |
53% |
10% |
|
The federal government should implement a stimulus package to boost the economy as soon as possible |
75% |
17% |
8% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,012 Canadian adults, conducted on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
