Polls & Research

Canada’s Martin Plummets on “Honesty” Rating

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many Canadian adults are unhappy with the current federal administration, according to a poll by The Strategic Counsel released by CTV and the Globe and Mail. 63 per cent of respondents believe Liberal prime minister Paul Martin is the most dishonest federal party leader.

Conservative leader Stephen Harper was next on the list with 20 per cent, followed by Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party with five per cent, and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois with three per cent.

Martin took over as Canada's prime minister in December 2003. In the June 2004 election, the Liberals secured a minority government with 135 seats in the House of Commons. Last year, Martin called a public inquiry into the federal sponsorship program—initiated during the tenure of prime minister Jean Chrétien to promote Canada in Quebec—after 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.

Justice John Gomery was put in charge of the investigation, which is expected to conclude in December 2005. On Apr. 21 in an uncommon televised address, Martin argued for the completion of the inquiry, saying, "Let the facts come out and then the people of Canada will have their say."

A sitting administration can only be toppled when it loses a vote that deals with confidence or finances. On May 11, Martin proposed holding a parliamentary vote on the budget on May 19, saying, "If the government loses the vote next Thursday, I will seek the dissolution of this Parliament and Canadians will know that Stephen Harper and Gilles Duceppe have worked together to force an election less than one year after the last election."

Yesterday, the House of Commons adjourned for the afternoon after Tory and Bloc parliamentarians won a 152-144 vote. Harper declared the motion intended to send a clear message to the Liberals, saying, "At some point the government has to accept the fact that it doesn't have the mandate to govern." Liberal House leader Tony Valeri criticized the move, saying, "I think Canadians are looking at this today and wondering why the Conservatives and the Bloc are taking a paid afternoon off."

Polling Data

Which of the federal party leaders is the most dishonest?