Tories stand by their man, poll shows
By CHRISTINA SPENCER
Last Updated: 4th December 2008, 2:34am
Half of Canadians think Stephen Harper should step down if the Conservatives are defeated in the House of Commons.
But that seemingly bleak number in a new Leger Marketing poll doesn't tell the entire story.
About 37% of those asked said Harper should stay, and this mirrors the approximate support Canadians gave the Tories and their leader in the Oct. 14 election, says Leger vice-president Dave Scholz.
Among identified Conservative voters, only 16% feel he should step down in the event of his party's defeat, the poll shows.
"It's a pretty strong endorsement for him of people who voted or traditionally vote Conservative," Scholz said.
The Tories are also still seen as the party best able to deal with the economic crisis, the poll shows. Thirty-four percent favoured the Conservatives, while just 14% thought the Liberals would handle the crisis better, and only 7% endorsed the NDP. Eighteen percent of those asked thought a Liberal-NDP coalition would handle things better than any of the opposition parties on their own.
