BC CONSERVATIVES EMERGE AS CONTENDER FOR UPCOMING ELECTION
[Ottawa – February 14, 2013] – Since their narrow victory in 2009, support for the British Columbia Liberals has fallen precariously and is trailing almost 12 points behind the BC NDP who, at 39 per cent, are within striking distance of a majority government. The reasons for this rather dramatic shift in support are unclear, but factors such as the Harmonized Sales Tax, the deficit, service cuts may be at play.
Further strengthening the NDP’s lead is the demographic composition of their supporters. Unlike their Ontario counterparts who have been hamstringed by their younger, dispassionate base, BC’s NDP party leads handily with Baby Boomers and is fiercely competitive among BC’s seniors, groups that consistently vote in record numbers.
In an another interesting development, the BC Conservative Party has leapt from virtual obscurity in the last election to third place and now controls 15 per cent of the vote. At these numbers, there is a very realistic probability that the party may elect its first representative to the legislature since Victor Stephens’ win in the 1978 Oak Bay by-election.
Finally, the BC Green Party stands at a seemingly impressive 14 points. This rise may simply be the result of frustration with the mainstream parties, but merits watching as we have seen a broad based rise in Green Party support throughout the country (in addition to “other” parties). Much of this support, however, is concentrated among the province’s younger generations who have a rather low propensity to actually show up and vote. The Green Party’s biggest challenge will therefore not be drumming up new support, but rather getting their existing supporters out to the polls on May 14th.
Click here for the full report: Full Report – British Columbia(February 14, 2013)
How about a Liberal minority with Green Support, Or an NDP minority with Conservative support.