November 20, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Conservative party is ahead in Canada’s federal political scene, according to a poll by Harris/Decima released by the Canadian Press. 36 per cent of respondents would support the governing party in the next election to the House of Commons.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The Conservative party is ahead in Canada’s federal political scene, according to a poll by Harris/Decima released by the Canadian Press. 36 per cent of respondents would support the governing party in the next election to the House of Commons.

The opposition Liberal party is second with 28 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 17 per cent, the Green party with 11 per cent, and the Bloc Québécois with eight per cent. Support for the Tories increased by three points in a week, while backing for the Grits fell by one point.

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. In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberals.

On Oct. 2, NDP international trade critic Peter Julian expressed disappointment with the effect free trade agreements with the United States and Mexico have had in Canada, saying, "Canadian families have seen a regular erosion of their income. This is further evidence that the Conservatives’ misguided economic policies will only accelerate the widening of the income gap that was created by past Liberal governments. Even when taxes and government transfers are taken into account, most Canadian families are poorer than in 1989."

On Oct. 29, Harper met with Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Sun Lushan, an official with the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, called the meeting "a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs (that) has severely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people (and) will greatly undermine the relationship between China and Canada."

Polling Data

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

	Nov. 19	Nov. 12	Oct. 29	Oct. 9
Conservative	36%	33%	33%	35%
Liberal	28%	29%	29%	28%
New Democratic Party	17%	17%	17%	17%
Green	11%	12%	10%	10%
Bloc Québécois	8%	8%	9%	8%

Source: Harris/Decima / Canadian Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Canadian adults, conducted from Nov. 15 to Nov. 19, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.