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Harper's Conservatives making inroads in Toronto, poll suggests

by albertacowpoke | September 24, 2009 at 02:41 am

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Canadian politics can be interesting from time to time. Granted the debates and allegations on either side are never as heated as they are in the U.S., where Democrats accuse Republicans to be lunatics and vice versa.

Canada's two major political parties are not that far apart ideologically and the voters choice boils down to the personality of the national leader of each of these parties. The ideological split is really between the far left New Democratic Party and these two major parties.

The hayday of the New Democratic Party has long passed from the days when Ed Broadbent won 56 seats in the House of Commons. The New Democratic Party holds power in two provinces, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. In Manitoba the party governs from the centre and in Nova Scotia it has just started its mandate and how they govern remains to be seen.

On the background of this, a new EKOS poll released yesterday seems to indicate that the Conservative Party is gaining support in Toronto. Ontario is and election decider along with Quebec and this is good news for Harper's Conservatives.

It would appear that Canadians and specifically the immigrant vote in Toronto is not impressed with Professor Ignatieff's ramblings, without providing a plan that is different from the governing Tories. Michael Ignatieff, who was to be the saviour of the Liberal Party, does not seem to have impressed Canadians period. In my opinion he must start telling Canadians not just that he opposes Stephen Harper but also why and how he will change from the Tories.

The poll released yesterday shows the Conservatives with 37% support, the Liberals with 29.9%, while the NDP has dipped to 13.8%.

In Toronto the gap is even bigger with the Conservatives enjoying a 42% lead. Who would have thought that this was possible in Toronto. Ignatieff definitely has to change his strategy if he hopes to be Prime Minister.

After a summer that saw the federal Conservatives and Liberals in a virtual tie, the Tories have opened up a comfortable lead over the Liberal Party and appear to be making a breakthrough in Toronto, a new poll suggests.

The EKOS poll, done exclusively for the CBC and released Thursday, shows the Tories with 37 per cent support, followed by the Liberals with 29.9 per cent. The New Democratic Party followed with 13.8 per cent, the Green Party with 10.2 per cent and the Bloc Quebecois with 9.1 per cent.

The Conservatives' lead widened from last week's poll, which saw them with 35.1 per cent support and the Liberals with 29.9 per cent. The NDP support dropped slightly from 16.5 per cent, with the Bloc and the Green Party remaining virtually the same.