CONSERVATIVES TIED OR LEADING IN EVERY REGION BUT QUEBEC
[Ottawa – March 18, 2010] – The federal Conservative Party has re-established a clear, statistically significant lead over the second-place Liberals. This follows a six-month period during which the governing party fell from majority-government territory into a virtual tie with the opposition Liberals.
The Conservatives have the support of barely a third of Canadians, and they owe their first-place status in part to the continued weakness of the Liberal Party.
The Liberals, who surged into the low thirty percent range during January, now seem to have settled back into the high twenties.
“This is a tribute at least as much to Liberal weakness as to Conservative strength,” said EKOS President Frank Graves. “The Liberals were not able to sustain the updraft they received from the Afghan detainee issue and prorogation around the New Year. The Conservatives’ recent budget and throne speech left no hostages to fortune, and they have regained the political initiative.”
The Conservatives now lead the Liberals across the West, and are tied with them in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. Only in Quebec do the Liberals lead the Tories, and there they themselves trail the BQ.
The Conservatives have a large lead among men, though they are in a dead heat with the Liberals among women. The Liberals lead the Tories among the university educated, but trail among those with college or high school educations.
The poll is one of a series conducted by EKOS Research Associates for exclusive release to the CBC.
Click here for the full report: full_report_march_18