Liberals lead new poll, but weak in Quebec

Last Updated Sat, 01 May 2004 14:35:02

OTTAWA - A new poll suggests the federal Liberals have enough voter support
to form a majority government. But the pollster warns many Canadians are
still angry over the sponsorship scandal.

The EKOS Research Associates poll published Saturday showed that if an
election were held now, 41.2 per cent of decided voters would choose the
Liberals.

The Conservatives won the support of 28.5 per cent, down almost four
percentage points from an EKOS poll in February. The NDP had 16.1 per cent,
up 1.5 percentage points. The Bloc Quebecois had 12.3 per cent, up 3.2
points.

The latest survey was conducted for the Toronto Star. The polling firm
talked to 1,326 people from April 26-28; the results are considered
accurate to within 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Frank Graves, president of EKOS Research, told the newspaper that support
for the Liberals remains fragile because of sagging support in Quebec and
simmering anger in general over the sponsorship scandal.

EKOS said 45 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement, "I'm
so disturbed by problems with ethics and accountability that I simply won't
vote for the Liberals in the next election."

Only six months ago, the governing party enjoyed "overwhelming
support" in Quebec, Graves said. "Now you've got this
breathtaking shift in fortunes.".

The Bloc had 52 per cent support among Quebec respondents, while the
Liberals were next with 35 per cent. The Conservatives and NDP were well
back at at eight per cent and three per cent, respectively.


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