Dear Mustardman and Grassfarmer;
PM Harper has the support of the vast majority of Canadians. And not just on May 2nd... better now than then!
"Stephen Harper continues to outstrip rival party leaders in popular support
Jane Taber, Globe and Mail Update, Posted on Monday, June 20, 2011 9:57 PM EDT
Stephen Harper is enjoying an extended honeymoon with Canadian voters, leading his competitors by a wide margin and attracting numbers he hasn’t seen for nearly a decade, according to a new Globe and Mail/CTV national poll.
Meanwhile, the NDP and Liberal leaders are not faring nearly as well. Not being in the media spotlight day after day, as he was during the election campaign, has contributed to a slide in how Canadians view NDP Leader Jack Layton’s leadership skills.
And having Bob Rae take over the reigns as Liberal Leader hasn’t done anything for Grit party fortunes.
The poll, released Monday and conducted by Nanos Research, shows that just a few weeks after the May 2 general election, the Prime Minister and his Conservatives have 41.8-per-cent support compared to 28 per cent for Mr. Layton and the NDP – a 14-point lead. “For a non-election cycle, this is among the highest levels of support registered since 2002 for the Conservatives,” observed Nik Nanos, president of Nanos Research. The Liberals are at 22.3 per cent, the Green Party, with its sole MP Elizabeth May, is at 3.7 per cent and the Bloc has 3.4-per-cent support nationally.
In addition, the Prime Minister’s leadership indicators are strong. Mr. Harper is leading his opponents when it comes to issues of trust, competence and vision for Canada – 32.3 per cent, 38.5 per cent and 33.7 per cent, respectively, compared to 29.4, 24.1 and 28.4 for Mr. Layton. Mr. Rae, who was appointed interim Liberal Leader only a month ago, registers with an 8.4-per-cent score on trust, 10.4 per cent on competence and 8.5 per cent on vision for Canada.
Mr. Layton, meanwhile, has dropped about five points in each of those categories since the election. “Let’s face it, the last federal election was a windfall for Jack Layton,” said Mr. Nanos, noting that there is a direct relationship between the NDP being in the news and increased support for the party and the leader.
In Quebec, however, the story remains positive for the New Democrats. Mr. Layton won 59 of the 75 seats in the province. The poll shows the NDP continues to hold a strong lead there with 40-per-cent support compared to 24.3 per cent for the Tories, 19.1 per cent for the Liberals and only 13.8 per cent for the Bloc Québécois.
West of the Ottawa River, the Harper Conservatives remain strong – 44.2 per cent in Ontario and 43.3 per cent in B.C. For the NDP, however, Mr. Nanos sees these two provinces as potential trouble spots. In Ontario, the party has dropped from 24.3-per-cent support last month to 20.4 per cent in Ontario. And in B.C., support has gone from 33.5 per cent to 29.2 per cent.
Mr. Nanos said this “points to the expected tension between the interests of the [NDP’s] Quebec caucus and the broader national interests of what people expect the NDP to do.” “People are waiting to see how the NDP are going to manage Quebec and how they will speak to Quebec issues,” he said.
As for the Liberals, Mr. Nanos said that adding Bob Rae as the new leader – he replaced Michael Ignatieff, who lost his own seat in the election and quickly resigned – has not added to Liberal support. “I think this suggests it’s going to be a long haul for the Liberals,” said the pollster. “Having Bob Rae as interim leader is the first step … still, it’s not going to be easy.”
Health care and jobs remain the top issues in the country.
The bottom line, however, is the strong relationship between Canadians and the Tories. “Summertime is a good time to have a honeymoon,” Mr. Nanos said, especially for government. “People aren’t paying attention. Usually an incumbent government does better when the House is not sitting … all to the advantage of Stephen Harper and the Conservatives,” he said.
The poll of 1,211 Canadians was conducted between June 16 and 19. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20"
PM Harper has the support of the vast majority of Canadians. And not just on May 2nd... better now than then!
"Stephen Harper continues to outstrip rival party leaders in popular support
Jane Taber, Globe and Mail Update, Posted on Monday, June 20, 2011 9:57 PM EDT
Stephen Harper is enjoying an extended honeymoon with Canadian voters, leading his competitors by a wide margin and attracting numbers he hasn’t seen for nearly a decade, according to a new Globe and Mail/CTV national poll.
Meanwhile, the NDP and Liberal leaders are not faring nearly as well. Not being in the media spotlight day after day, as he was during the election campaign, has contributed to a slide in how Canadians view NDP Leader Jack Layton’s leadership skills.
And having Bob Rae take over the reigns as Liberal Leader hasn’t done anything for Grit party fortunes.
The poll, released Monday and conducted by Nanos Research, shows that just a few weeks after the May 2 general election, the Prime Minister and his Conservatives have 41.8-per-cent support compared to 28 per cent for Mr. Layton and the NDP – a 14-point lead. “For a non-election cycle, this is among the highest levels of support registered since 2002 for the Conservatives,” observed Nik Nanos, president of Nanos Research. The Liberals are at 22.3 per cent, the Green Party, with its sole MP Elizabeth May, is at 3.7 per cent and the Bloc has 3.4-per-cent support nationally.
In addition, the Prime Minister’s leadership indicators are strong. Mr. Harper is leading his opponents when it comes to issues of trust, competence and vision for Canada – 32.3 per cent, 38.5 per cent and 33.7 per cent, respectively, compared to 29.4, 24.1 and 28.4 for Mr. Layton. Mr. Rae, who was appointed interim Liberal Leader only a month ago, registers with an 8.4-per-cent score on trust, 10.4 per cent on competence and 8.5 per cent on vision for Canada.
Mr. Layton, meanwhile, has dropped about five points in each of those categories since the election. “Let’s face it, the last federal election was a windfall for Jack Layton,” said Mr. Nanos, noting that there is a direct relationship between the NDP being in the news and increased support for the party and the leader.
In Quebec, however, the story remains positive for the New Democrats. Mr. Layton won 59 of the 75 seats in the province. The poll shows the NDP continues to hold a strong lead there with 40-per-cent support compared to 24.3 per cent for the Tories, 19.1 per cent for the Liberals and only 13.8 per cent for the Bloc Québécois.
West of the Ottawa River, the Harper Conservatives remain strong – 44.2 per cent in Ontario and 43.3 per cent in B.C. For the NDP, however, Mr. Nanos sees these two provinces as potential trouble spots. In Ontario, the party has dropped from 24.3-per-cent support last month to 20.4 per cent in Ontario. And in B.C., support has gone from 33.5 per cent to 29.2 per cent.
Mr. Nanos said this “points to the expected tension between the interests of the [NDP’s] Quebec caucus and the broader national interests of what people expect the NDP to do.” “People are waiting to see how the NDP are going to manage Quebec and how they will speak to Quebec issues,” he said.
As for the Liberals, Mr. Nanos said that adding Bob Rae as the new leader – he replaced Michael Ignatieff, who lost his own seat in the election and quickly resigned – has not added to Liberal support. “I think this suggests it’s going to be a long haul for the Liberals,” said the pollster. “Having Bob Rae as interim leader is the first step … still, it’s not going to be easy.”
Health care and jobs remain the top issues in the country.
The bottom line, however, is the strong relationship between Canadians and the Tories. “Summertime is a good time to have a honeymoon,” Mr. Nanos said, especially for government. “People aren’t paying attention. Usually an incumbent government does better when the House is not sitting … all to the advantage of Stephen Harper and the Conservatives,” he said.
The poll of 1,211 Canadians was conducted between June 16 and 19. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20"
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