Conservatives Losing Support Among Female Voters: Poll
Posted October 21, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay’s alleged slur against his former girlfriend, Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, comes the same week a new poll suggests the Tories are having a hard time maintaining support among female voters.
The party is also facing harsh criticism for cuts to women’s advocacy groups.
The Decima Research survey claims that female voters have been moving away from the Conservative party since mid-July. The Tories once led the Liberals in terms of support from women, but party policy has apparently changed that.
“Anytime there’s speculation about same-sex marriage being put on the agenda, speculation they’re not going to have a very progressive environmental policy, the Conservatives are going to pay a bigger price among women — and among young people and urban voters — for that kind of situation than they would among any other voter group,” pollster Bruce Anderson said.
The survey, which was conducted between October 12 and October 16 and included 1,038 Canadians, suggests 34 percent of female voters back the Liberals, 28 percent support the Tories, and 16 percent back the NDP.
Anderson says the results of this poll suggest that broad support base the Conservatives managed to build before the election has changed, for the moment.
“They’re now struggling to maintain an attachment with those voter groups,” he said.
It also shows support for the Tories is waning among voters aged 18 – 34 and urban voters. The party is also losing ground to the Liberals in Ontario and Quebec, the survey says.
Another poll released earlier this week suggests the Conservatives are in a dead heat with the leaderless Liberals.
Among decided voters, 32 percent said they’d back the Tories, compared to 30 percent who said they’d support the Liberals. Fifteen percent said they’d back the NDP, 11 percent the Bloc Quebecois and 10 percent the Greens.
Jack Layton Says MacKay Should Apologize Or Resign
