(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The opposition Conservative party keeps a slight advantage in Canada's federal political scene, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid for CanWest Global. 33 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next election, while 30 per cent would support the governing Liberal party.

The New Democratic Party is third with 17 per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois with 12 per cent and the Green party with five 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 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."

In an interview released by CanWest News Service, Conservative leader Stephen Harper warned about the possible consequences of a victory for the Liberals, saying, "If anybody in the rest of the country sends a signal that they are prepared to tolerate corruption, they are, quite frankly, imperilling the future of the country."

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