(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Conservative party holds the upper hand in Canada’s political scene, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by the Toronto Star. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next federal election, while 27 per cent would vote for the Liberal party.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) is third with 18 per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois with 11 per cent, and the Green party with eight per cent. Support for the Liberals dropped by three points since April, while backing for the Bloc increased by the same margin.

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 May 22, NDP leader Jack Layton criticized the current government for not doing enough to help poor Canadians, saying, "More wealth is being generated than ever before—but that does not mean that everyone is better off. In fact, the opposite is true. The reason is pretty clear—the benefits of economic growth are not being shared equally among all Canadians. Instead, they are being enjoyed almost exclusively by those at the top, while everyone else is left scrambling to cope with the rising costs of essentials like food, housing and gas prices."

Polling Data

If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?

Source: Angus Reid Strategies / Toronto Star
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,007 Canadian adults, conducted from May 16 to May 19, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Other poll highlights:

Approval Ratings: Harper 32%, Dion 10%
Preferred Prime Minister: Harper 33%, Dion 11%, Neither 44%
Momentum Score: Harper -21, Dion -21
49% do not want the opposition to force an early election
Harper defeats Dion on seven qualities and characteristics

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