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In Quebec, Bloc Has Edge On Liberals
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The separatist Bloc Québécois is the top federal political party in Canada's largest province, according to a poll by Léger Marketing published in Le Journal de Montréal. 49 per cent of respondents would vote for the Bloc in the next House of Commons election.
The governing Liberal party is second with 25 per cent—a 10 per cent drop since November—followed by the Conservative party with 13 per cent and the New Democratic Party with 11 per cent.
Liberal leader Paul Martin took over as Canada's prime minister in December 2004. In the June 2004 federal election, his party secured a minority government with 135 seats in the House of Commons. The Bloc elected lawmakers in 54 of Quebec's 75 constituencies, with the remaining 21 going to the Liberals.
The 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.
Martin called a public inquiry into the sponsorship program last year. Justice John Gomery was put in charge of the investigation, which is expected to conclude in December 2005. Last week, the testimony of Groupaction Marketing president Jean Brault was released to the public. Brault—who faces fraud and conspiracy charges—claims to have paid close to $1 million U.S. to Liberal fundraisers in Quebec, in order to secure advertising contracts with the federal government.
Polling Data
If federal elections were held today, which political party would you vote for?
(Leaners included)
Apr. 2005 | Nov. 2004 | |
Bloc Québécois | 49% | 49% |
Liberal | 25% | 35% |
Conservative | 13% | 10% |
New Democratic Party | 11% | 8% |
Source: Léger Marketing / Le Journal de Montréal
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,003 adults in Quebec, conducted from Mar. 30 to Apr. 5, 2005. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.