Ignatieff makes best impression, poll suggests

Tyr

Tyr

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Time for Harpo to drag out the Zellers sweaters to make him more huggable.


JOAN BRYDEN
The Canadian Press - Globe and Mail
February 10, 2009 at 2:42 PM EST



The Tories' federal leadership advantage has evaporated since Michael Ignatieff took over the Liberal helm, a new poll suggests.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey indicates the newly minted Liberal Leader is viewed more favourably than either Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper or NDP Leader Jack Layton.

Mr. Ignatieff was the only one of the three to score a net positive rating. Forty-three per cent of respondents said they had a favourable impression of him versus 32 per cent who had an unfavourable opinion.

Mr. Harper was viewed favourably by 43 per cent and unfavourably by 49 per cent, relatively unchanged since last October's election.

Mr. Layton was seen positively by 37 per cent and negatively by 49 per cent of respondents, almost a complete reversal since the closing days of the election campaign when the NDP leader was the most favourably viewed national leader.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was viewed favourably by 37 per cent, unfavourably by 33 per cent — a significant decline in her popularity since the election.

Liberal support was dragged down during the election by the unpopularity of then-leader Stéphane Dion, who consistently scored last in leadership favourability. Mr. Ignatieff was chosen through a hastily-arranged process to replace Mr. Dion in early December.

Since then, Liberals have bounced back into contention. The poll suggests the Tories and Liberals were statistically tied, with 33 per cent and 31 per cent support respectively, well ahead of the NDP at 15 per cent, the Greens at 10 per cent and the Bloc Québécois at 10 per cent.

In Quebec, the Bloc led with 41 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 27 per cent, the Tories at 16 per cent, the NDP at 10 per cent and Greens at 4 per cent.
More importantly, the leadership favourability numbers suggest the Liberals under Mr. Ignatieff have more growth potential than their rivals.

Mr. Ignatieff was viewed more positively than negatively all across the country, except Alberta, and across all age and gender groups.
 
#juan

#juan

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If this keeps up, Harper will be gone in the next four or five months.
 
VanIsle

VanIsle

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We can all find a poll in favor of the party we want. How about this?
Latest Poll Shows Impact on Liberals of New Leader Monday, 08 December 2008
Ottawa, ON -- The Liberal Party is now setting out to vote in a new leader before Parliament resumes sitting in January 2009. Right now, the governing Conservative party holds a substantial lead over the Liberal party, but a change in leadership would benefit Canada’s official opposition, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by the Toronto Star. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next federal election, while 22 per cent would back the Grits.


The New Democratic Party (NDP) is third with 18 per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois with 10 per cent, and the Green party with seven per cent.

In a scenario with current Liberal deputy leader Michael Ignatieff at the helm, the Conservatives hold a five-point edge over the main opposition party. With former Ontario premier Bob Rae as leader, the Grits trail the Tories by 15 points.

Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Oct. 14. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 37.6 per cent of the vote, and secured 143 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper assembled a minority administration. The Tories also earned a minority mandate after the 2006 election, ending more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

The Liberals have formed 23 of Canada’s 40 federal governments since 1867. In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberal party. In the 2008 election, the Liberals garnered 26.2 per cent of the vote—the party’s second worst total in history—and 76 seats. Dion has since announced he is stepping down as leader, and a convention to choose his replacement is scheduled for May 2009.

On Nov. 27, the federal government presented its financial update, which included a controversial measure to scrap the existing public financing system for political parties. Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty later stated that an economic stimulus package would be presented on Jan. 27, 2009—along with the new budget—but the opposition was expected to defeat the government in a confidence motion.

On Dec. 1, Dion announced that a deal to assemble a coalition government with the NDP and the support of the Bloc had been reached. On Dec. 5, Harper asked Canadian governor general Michaëlle Jean to prorogue Parliament until late January 2009, thereby avoiding the opposition’s confidence motion to be put to a vote. The governor general agreed to the prime minister’s request.

Yesterday, Ignatieff discussed his party’s current situation, saying, "There’s an emerging feeling in the caucus that, given the importance of this [budget] vote in late January, it would be appropriate to have a permanent leader in place. The caucus is considering various options about how to do that."

Polling Data

If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?

Imagine that Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the federal Liberal Party. If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?

Imagine that Bob Rae is the leader of the federal Liberal Party. If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?
​
Liberals
with
Dion
Liberals
with
Ignatieff
Liberals
with
Rae
Conservative
42%
38%
41%
Liberal
22%
33%
26%
New Democratic Party
18%
13%
15%
Bloc Québécois
10%
10%
10%
Green
7%
6%
6%
Other
1%
1%
2%
 
Cannuck

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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Most parties have a bump in the polls when they get a new leader...but seriously, how hard is it to look good compared to Harper? It just goes to show how bad Smilin' Jack and Dion are.
 
Goober

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earth_as_one

earth_as_one

Time Out
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If you want to understand Ignatieff, read what he writes.

Here is a list of Ignatieff articles:
Online articles written by Michael Ignatieff « Robitaille 2.0

At the time when it counted (2003), Ignatieff supported George Bush's Iraq war crime:

March 23, 2003
I am Iraq

...over Iraq, I don't like the company I am keeping, but I think they're right on the issue. I much prefer the company on the other side, but I believe they're mistaken...

...I still think the president is right when he says that Iraq and the world will be better off with Saddam disarmed, even, if necessary, through force....

...where we all stand has become a litmus test of our moral identities...

THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 3-23-03; I Am Iraq - New York Times
Click to expand...

To be fair, Ignatieff's reasoning is more comlpex than the above quotes suggest. But he was wrong. War is a blunt instrument which should only be used as a last resort when the alternatives are even more horrific.

When Ignatieff wrote the above, UN weapons inspectors had been in Iraq for several months, reported Iraq was being cooperative, found nothing justifying war or supporting Bush adminstration claims about an Iraqi threat and were confident that all remaining disarmament issues would be resolved within a short period of time:

SECURITY COUNCIL 7 MARCH 2003
Oral introduction of the 12th quarterly report of UNMOVIC
Executive Chairman Dr. Hans Blix

...How much time would it take to resolve the key remaining disarmament tasks? While cooperation can and is to be immediate, disarmament and at any rate the verification of it cannot be instant. Even with a proactive Iraqi attitude, induced by continued outside pressure, it would still take some time to verify sites and items, analyse documents, interview relevant persons, and draw conclusions. It would not take years, nor weeks, but months. Neither governments nor inspectors would want disarmament inspection to go on forever. However, it must be remembered that in accordance with the governing resolutions, a sustained inspection and monitoring system is to remain in place after verified disarmament to give confidence and to strike an alarm, if signs were seen of the revival of any proscribed weapons programmes...

Security Council 7 March 2003
Click to expand...

Does the above sound like an urgent need to resort to a war to disarm Iraq of its WMDs? What was the hurry? Hussein was a tyrant. But back in 2002-2003 Iraq was peaceful. Iraqis were oppressed but living in peace. Crime was low and as long as you didn't criticize Hussein's rule, Iraq's were more or less safe. The main problem in Iraq were crippling economic sanctions which remained in effect long after they had served their original purpose.

It took Ignaiteff several years to figure out the Iraq war was a bad idea. Ignatieff's articles prove Ignatieff is intelligent, but he can be manipulated.

After reading some of Ignatieff's articles, I have no doubt the man is well educated and intelligent. Harper is a simpleton in comparison. But Ignatieff's stand on Iraq shows he can be fooled. His position on Israel/Palestine shows he still can't figure out when he is being manipulated with misinformation. He uses the same reference points and assumptions used by Bush and Harper:

...Annapolis will test the proposition that enemies are more likely to make peace when they are weak than when they are strong. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert comes to the table weakened by scandal and Israeli anger at the high cost of his military operation in Lebanon last summer. His Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, comes to Annapolis weakened by the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the renewed violence there that threatens to destabilize him. Hamas continues to build strength in the West Bank with elected Hamas mayors controlling key towns like Nablus, Tulkarm and Qalqilya...

TheStar.com | Opinion | A peace of the weak and exhausted
Click to expand...

What destablized Palestine was Fatah's refusal to hand over power to democratically elected Hamas. After Fatah lost the election, they no longer had a mandate to rule Palestinians. A civil war broke out when US and Israeli supported Fatah's refusal to concede power to Hamas. How can a peace deal be reached when the side which won the elections and has a mandate by the Palestinian people has been sidelined? Annapolis failed because the Palestinians were not represented by their elected representatives.

BTW, Abbas's mandate has expired. He is just another unpopular US and Israeli supported dictator.

So I don't like what I'm seeing regarding Ignatieff. He appears to be a Neocon in Liberal clothing.
 
#juan

#juan

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We are all free to vote for whoever we like but at the moment, it looks like more people would vote for Ignatief, except in Alberta.....;-):smile:
 
L Gilbert

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lol And people think Harpy spends money, wait till the Glibs get in. More cuts in seniors and student programs so they can say they balanced the budget? More tax cuts for the rich buddies? Perhaps a few more Adscams and Shawinigates?
 
JLM

JLM

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Islandpacific said:
We can all find a poll in favor of the party we want. How about this?

Latest Poll Shows Impact on Liberals of New Leader Monday, 08 December 2008
Ottawa, ON -- The Liberal Party is now setting out to vote in a new leader before Parliament resumes sitting in January 2009. Right now, the governing Conservative party holds a substantial lead over the Liberal party, but a change in leadership would benefit Canada’s official opposition, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by the Toronto Star. 42 per cent of respondents would vote for the Tories in the next federal election, while 22 per cent would back the Grits.​



The New Democratic Party (NDP) is third with 18 per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois with 10 per cent, and the Green party with seven per cent.​

In a scenario with current Liberal deputy leader Michael Ignatieff at the helm, the Conservatives hold a five-point edge over the main opposition party. With former Ontario premier Bob Rae as leader, the Grits trail the Tories by 15 points.​

Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Oct. 14. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 37.6 per cent of the vote, and secured 143 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper assembled a minority administration. The Tories also earned a minority mandate after the 2006 election, ending more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.​

The Liberals have formed 23 of Canada’s 40 federal governments since 1867. In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberal party. In the 2008 election, the Liberals garnered 26.2 per cent of the vote—the party’s second worst total in history—and 76 seats. Dion has since announced he is stepping down as leader, and a convention to choose his replacement is scheduled for May 2009.​

On Nov. 27, the federal government presented its financial update, which included a controversial measure to scrap the existing public financing system for political parties. Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty later stated that an economic stimulus package would be presented on Jan. 27, 2009—along with the new budget—but the opposition was expected to defeat the government in a confidence motion.​

On Dec. 1, Dion announced that a deal to assemble a coalition government with the NDP and the support of the Bloc had been reached. On Dec. 5, Harper asked Canadian governor general Michaëlle Jean to prorogue Parliament until late January 2009, thereby avoiding the opposition’s confidence motion to be put to a vote. The governor general agreed to the prime minister’s request.​

Yesterday, Ignatieff discussed his party’s current situation, saying, "There’s an emerging feeling in the caucus that, given the importance of this [budget] vote in late January, it would be appropriate to have a permanent leader in place. The caucus is considering various options about how to do that."​

Polling Data​

If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?​

Imagine that Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the federal Liberal Party. If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?​

Imagine that Bob Rae is the leader of the federal Liberal Party. If a federal election were held tomorrow, which one of the following parties would you be most likely to support in your constituency?​

Liberals
with
Dion
Liberals
with
Ignatieff
Liberals
with
Rae
Conservative
42%
38%
41%
Liberal
22%
33%
26%
New Democratic Party
18%
13%
15%
Bloc Québécois
10%
10%
10%
Green
7%
6%
6%
Other
1%
1%
2%
Click to expand...

My gut feeling is the Conservatives have an edge, specific percentages mean very little as they change from day to day and we know a week is a long, long time in politics. I haven't seen anything about Ignatieff to impress me one way or the other, perhaps if he could win an election he may turn out Okay, but I think until I know for sure I'm not going to risk jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. It takes five or ten years to find out what a guy is really like, although probably shorter in hard times.
 
#juan

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
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L Gilbert said:
lol And people think Harpy spends money, wait till the Glibs get in. More cuts in seniors and student programs so they can say they balanced the budget? More tax cuts for the rich buddies? Perhaps a few more Adscams and Shawinigates?
Click to expand...

How many dozen adscams and Shawinigates would equal one Mulroney? Quite a few I would think.;-)
 
P

ParsonManning

Time Out
Feb 11, 2009
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Oh My - Some Different Findings

The Conservatives have suffered a drop in popular support across the country and are locked in a virtual dead heat with a newly resurgent Liberal party, a new poll suggests.
The latest Strategic Counsel poll, conducted between Feb. 5 and Feb. 9 for CTV and the Globe and Mail, shows that the two main parties have seen a shift in support since last October's federal election (difference in brackets):

  • Conservatives: 32 per cent (-6)
  • Liberals: 33 per cent (+7)
  • NDP: 17 per cent (-1)
  • Bloc Quebecois: 5 per cent (-5)
  • Green Party: 13 per cent (+6)
The poll reflects a shifting political landscape marked by the Tory budget, a slumping economy and the impact of new Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, according to the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo.
"It shows how the change in leadership for the Liberals and the economic downtown have all come together to create a much more competitive political environment right now," Donolo told CTV.ca on Tuesday.
"So we've seen a decline in the Conservatives' fortunes and a net gain for the Liberals," he added.
"It's not surprising, given the Liberals have a new leader who seems to have avoided some of the mishaps and traps that were laid for him and that his predecessor stepped in."
Donolo said that Ignatieff has benefited from dismantling the Liberal-NDP coalition, which was to be supported by the Bloc Quebecois and was deeply unpopular with many Canadians.
The poll asked 1,000 Canadians what party they would vote for if a federal election were "held tomorrow."
Across the country
In Ontario, the poll found that the two major parties have seen big swings in popular support since the last federal election (difference in brackets):

  • Conservatives: 28 per cent (-11)
  • Liberals: 43 per cent (+9)
  • NDP: 20 per cent (+2)
  • Green Party: 9 per cent (+1)
Quebec voters, meanwhile, appear to be abandoning the Bloc since the last election while the Greens have seen a huge surge in the province (difference in brackets):

  • Bloc Quebecois: 22 per cent (-16)
  • Liberals: 24 per cent (0)
  • Conservatives: 17 per cent (-5)
  • NDP: 12 per cent (0)
  • Green Party: 26 per cent (22 per cent)
In Western Canada, meanwhile, the Grits have seen a reversal of fortunes since the last election that could give them a foothold in the Tory heartland (difference in brackets):

  • Conservatives: 50 per cent (-3)
  • Liberals: 24 per cent (+8)
  • NDP: 16 per cent (-6)
  • Greens: 10 per cent (+1)
In explaining some of the findings, Donolo said the Tory budget, which was passed with Liberal support in Parliament last week, has been a boon for Ignatieff.
The Liberals attached an amendment to the budget which states that the Conservatives must give Parliament regular updates on key spending measures contained within the document's $35-billion economic stimulus package.
"He managed to position Liberal support for the budget without looking like they had been co-opted by the government," said Donolo.
At the time, Ignatieff warned the Tories that they were on "probation."
Donolo noted that the Grit's political maneuver has created the impression that Ignatieff "is calling the shots, as opposed to Mr. Harper pushing him around."
By contrast, former Liberal leader Stephane Dion was branded by the Tories as being a weak leader, and he was regularly criticized by the NDP for supporting Conservative legislation in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Tories haven't appeared "surefooted" in handling the global recession, said Donolo.
As recently as December, the Tories predicted that Canada would post a budget surplus and was in good shape to weather the brewing economic storm.
Since then, thousands of Canadians have lost their jobs, bankruptcy rates have risen and consumer confidence has plunged.
Responding to the recession, both Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty have changed their tone and offered sobering economic speeches in recent weeks.
"They've gone from one extreme to the other, they've kind of ricocheted around," said Donolo.
Additional findings from the poll suggest that support for the NDP has remained relatively constant nationally, but Donolo said that number could also shift in the coming months.
"The more the Liberals gain momentum, if this continues, the more of a problem that will be for the NDP."
Technical notes

  • The Strategic Counsel is pleased to present findings of a national telephone omni survey of 1,000 Canadians
  • Results are based on a proportionate national sample of Canadians 18 years of age or older
  • Interviews were conducted between Feb. 5 and Feb. 8, 2009
Regional and Demographic Breakdowns
Sample size and margin of error:

  • Canada: 1000 - 3.1 per cent
  • Quebec: 244 - 6.3 per cent
  • Rest of Canada: 758 - 3.6 per cent
  • Ontario: 384 - 5 per cent
  • West: 300 - 5.7 per cent
 
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