CTV.ca | Liberals have 14-point lead over Tories: = poll

The=20 Web CTV.ca 3D|=20

All = Programs=20 Page 8=20 Simple Rules According=20 To Jim (HD) Alias=20 (HD) The=20 Amazing Race American=20 Idol Balance:=20 Television for Living Well Beauty=20 and the Geek The=20 Bold and the Beautiful Canada's=20 Walk of Fame Canada = AM = Charmed=20 Cold=20 Case (HD) Cold=20 Squad Comedy=20 Inc. Comedy=20 Now! Corner=20 Gas (HD) COUNTDOWN:=20 With Mike Duffy CSI=20 (HD) CSI:=20 Miami (HD) CSI:=20 NY(HD) CTV=20 News Daily=20 Planet The=20 Daily Show with Jon Stewart Dancing=20 with the Stars Degrassi:=20 The Next Generation (HD) Desperate=20 Housewives Dr.=20 Phil Ebert=20 & Roeper and the Movies ER=20 (HD) Feature=20 Presentations General=20 Hospital Good=20 Morning Canada Grey's=20 Anatomy Hope=20 & Faith (HD) Instant=20 Star (HD) Jeopardy!=20 Joan=20 of Arcadia (HD) Law=20 & Order (HD) Law=20 & Order: CI (HD) Law=20 & Order: SVU (HD) Law=20 & Order: Trial By Jury (HD) Less=20 Than Perfect Live=20 With Regis and Kelly Lost=20 Medium=20 Nip/Tuck=20 The=20 O.C. The=20 Oprah Winfrey Show The=20 Osbournes Plain=20 Truth Question = Period Robson=20 Arms The=20 Scholar Scrubs=20 Simple=20 Life: Interns The=20 Sopranos (HD) Sue=20 Thomas: F.B. Eye Third=20 Watch (HD) Veronica=20 Mars Vicki=20 Gabereau The=20 View The=20 West Wing (HD) W-FIVE=20 Wife=20 Swap

Local

<= /DIV>

News

Programs

CTV News Team

Services

Liberals have 14-point lead over Tories: poll

Canadian Press

OTTAWA =97 The Liberals = vaulted to a=20 14-point lead over the Conservatives in popular support, suggests = a new=20 poll released to The Canadian Press.

A Decima survey last week suggests support for the federal = Tories=20 crumbled, putting them in a virtual dead heat with the NDP.

The Liberals were at 37 per cent support, the Tories had 23 per = cent=20 and the NDP were trailing them closely at 21 per cent.

Most surprising were the numbers in the critical battleground = of=20 Ontario, where the Conservatives were running neck-and-neck with = the Grits=20 barely a month ago.

Decima said the Tories had fallen 26 points behind the Liberals = and=20 were in third place behind the NDP. The Liberals had 48 per cent = in that=20 province, the NDP was at 24 and the Conservatives held 22 per = cent.

"The trend lines -- especially in Ontario -- are definitely = better for=20 the Liberal party than they were several weeks ago, no question = about=20 that,'' said Bruce Anderson, head of Decima Research Inc.

The New Democrats also held small leads over the Tories among = women,=20 single people and voters under age 34.

The poll of 1,000 respondents was conducted June 2-5. Decima = said the=20 results are accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out = of 20,=20 but the provincial and demographic breakdowns are less reliable = because=20 they have a smaller sample size.

Those kinds of poll numbers could have a significant impact on = federal=20 politics and the timing of an election.

A Tory party that just days ago had Parliament paralysed in its = effort=20 to topple the Liberal government now seems destined to sit = patiently=20 through an election-free spring.

The Liberals have steadily climbed back in a series of polls = after=20 being battered by a daily stream of revelations at the sponsorship = inquiry.

However, the Conservatives had even less support than they did = before=20 tales of corruption in Liberal ranks surfaced in April, the poll=20 suggests.

But Liberals shouldn't feel too triumphant, Anderson = warned.

The wild swings suggest a temperamental electorate, and these = latest=20 Decima numbers would still likely give the Liberals only a = minority=20 government.

"(These are) not unprecedented levels of support for the = Liberal=20 party,'' Anderson said.

"I would say it's more reasonable to assume that they're = fragile,=20 rather than sturdy levels of support because of the volatility = we've=20 seen.''

Anderson blamed the Tories' poor showing on a strategy that has = been=20 "out of sync'' with the desires of the electorate.

In their efforts to take down the government, the Tories found=20 themselves running against public opinion among voters who didn't = want an=20 election and actually liked the NDP-inspired changes to the = federal=20 budget.

Parliament was shut down for a few days as the Tories and Bloc=20 Quebecois boycotted to protest the Liberals clinging to power.

"During the same period, the NDP has been urging that the House = (of=20 Commons) keep working, that it expand its agenda beyond ... = corruption,=20 and has been promoting social spending over corporate tax cuts,'' = Anderson=20 said.

The Tories appear unlikely to try forcing an election again = this=20 spring, as MPs suggest the party will spend the summer shaping = policy and=20 building popular support.

That would be in keeping with what voters want, the Decima poll = suggests.

Only 12 per cent of respondents said the Tories should renew = their=20 takedown effort, compared to 76 per cent who said they should = wait.

The Liberals responded gleefully to Decima's numbers.

"I've always been confident that the general public in Ontario = saw the=20 merits of a good government,'' said Immigration Minister Joe = Volpe, the=20 Liberals' political minister for the province.

"The programs that we began to outline and publicize through = the budget=20 were ones that galvanized public opinion and won public = confidence.''

The Tories said they'll keep working to win public support.

"These things wax and wane,'' said Tory finance critic Monte=20 Solberg.

"I think we just keep pounding away, stay positive, and in the = end=20 people will come around to our point of view.''

Video

CTV=20 News: Polls show Liberals have popular support

Liberals have 14-point lead over Tories: poll

User Tools

Top Stories

User Tools

Video

Related Stories