Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Ontario Liberals Have Five-Point Lead

March 01, 2007
Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Liberal party is the most popular political organization in Canada's most populous province, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid released by CanWest Global. 38 per cent of respondents in Ontario would vote for the Liberals in this year's provincial ballot.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Liberal party is the most popular political organization in Canada's most populous province, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid released by CanWest Global. 38 per cent of respondents in Ontario would vote for the Liberals in this year's provincial ballot.

The Progressive Conservatives, led by John Tory, are second with 33 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Howard Hampton with 17 per cent, and the Green party of Frank de Jong with nine per cent. Support for the Grits fell by three points since October, while backing for the Greens increased by four points.

Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty has served as Ontario's premier since October 2003, when his party won the provincial ballot, ending eight years of a Conservative administration. The next election is scheduled for Oct. 10.

A fuel shortage has affected Ontario's gas stations over the past few days. Yesterday, McGuinty discussed the situation, saying, "The first thing that I would say to Ontarians is: Let's stay cool. Let's stay calm. We're going to get through this together. (...) We've asked (oil companies) to make sure that no community is ever completely out of gasoline."

Tory expressed dissatisfaction with the way the government has dealt with the issue, declaring, "It's more than an inconvenience, because if you look at what the truckers are saying, it starts to hurt the economy."

Polling Data

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

Feb. 2007

Oct. 2006

Liberal

38%

41%

Progressive Conservative

33%

34%

New Democratic Party

17%

19%

Green

9%

5%

Source: Ipsos-Reid / CanWest Global
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 771 adult Ontario residents, conducted from Feb. 6 to Feb. 15, 2007. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.