NDP tied with Liberals for support: poll
Posted April 18, 2011 5:48 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A recent public opinion poll gives the NDP a significant boost, putting the party in a dead heat with the Liberals.
NDP Leader Jack Layton’s feisty performance at the federal leaders debates last week apparently had an impact on voters.
The Conservatives still have a significant lead with 36 per cent support. A drop for the Liberals and a surge for the NDP resulted in 25 per cent support behind both parties.
Layton’s party enjoyed a four per cent jump in support since last month.
The Bloc Quebecois has nine per cent support and the Greens are at five per cent.
The online survey of 2,032 Canadians conducted by Angus Reid happened April 15 and 16 and has a margin of error plus or minus 2.2 percentage points 19 times out of 20, according to a report in the Toronto Star.
But, once again, strategic voting poses a big problem for the NDP. Layton supporters who want to stave off a Conservative majority may instead cast a ballot for the Liberals, sending the NDP numbers down, as was the case in 2008.
A second poll conducted by Nanos Research for the Globe and Mail posts conflicting results. It suggests the NDP is trailing the Liberals by more than 10 points.
The poll puts the Conservatives out front with 39.8 per cent support, the Liberals with 29.8 and the NDP in third with 17.4 per cent.
The Nanos poll of 991 decided voters was conducted between April 15 and 17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20, according to the report in the Globe.
