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.
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.