Polls & Research

Liberals Now 15 Points Ahead in Canada

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The governing Liberal party has extended its advantage in Canada, according to a poll by Decima Research. 39 per cent of respondents would vote for the Liberals in the next federal election.

The Conservative party is second with 24 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 19 per cent and the Bloc Québécois with 14 per cent. Support for the Grits increased by two per cent since June, while backing for the Tories fell by one per cent.

In Ontario, a province that elects 106 members to the 308-seat House of Commons, the Liberals hold a 17 per cent lead over the Conservatives. In Quebec, with 75 lawmakers at stake, the Bloc is first with 50 per cent, followed by the Liberals with 28 per cent.

Liberal leader Paul 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. Martin has vowed to hold a federal election "within 30 days of the publication of the commission's final report and recommendations."

Earlier this month, defence minister Bill Graham visited Hans Island. Both Canada and Denmark have laid claim to the island—located north of Greenland and reachable only in the summer—since the Arctic borders were drawn in 1973. Danish government spokesman Peter Taksoe-Jensen said the Scandinavian country would "hand over a note to Canada in which we will express our viewpoint."

Opposition foreign affairs critic Stockwell Day chided the Canadian government for its handling of the Hans Island dispute, saying, "The Conservative party raised this issue a number of times in the House of Commons two years ago and Mr. Graham dismissed it. If Canada fails to exercise its Arctic sovereignty with a constant presence in the area, other nations will claim the right to do so."

The House of Commons and the Senate are adjourned until late September.

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in the next federal election?