Looks like contradictions exist to Walter's numbers.
Tories, Liberals mired in dead heat - The Globe and Mail
Tories, Liberals mired in dead heat - The Globe and Mail
Has Iggy lost his Groove?
- Thread starter Trex
- Start date
The above vrs. Harper’s Tories open big lead over Liberals, says Ipsos poll
The Harris-Decima survey say's one thing.....:roll:
The Ipsos poll say's another....:roll:
Which is correct? Most likely neither. 8O :lol::lol::lol:
The Harris-Decima survey say's one thing.....:roll:
The Ipsos poll say's another....:roll:
Which is correct? Most likely neither. 8O :lol::lol::lol:
As they say, the only poll that counts is on election day. The rest are for propaganda.
Iggy needs a makeover
Lawrence Martin
25 August 2009
It’s official. The Liberal party strategy is a dud. A new Ipsos Reid poll — Conservatives 39, Liberals 28 — is the latest signal. While no one should read too much into one opinion sampling, the downward trend has been apparent for months.
Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals are backpedalling toward the lows of Stéphane Dion — and they shouldn’t be surprised.
What else can be expected when you put out no new policies, no new vision, a leader who appears indecisive, and no sustained attack strategy on Stephen Harper?
The operation needs an overhaul and it needs it now. Iggy has been too beholden to a handful of advisers who brought him into politics. That’s what happened to Paul Martin. The former prime minister placed too much power in the hands of a few close political friends.
The plan after Ignatieff took over the leadership last December was to play it safe. Canadians would be happy to see Dion gone. They would be excited by Iggy’s fresh intellect. The Conservatives were coming off an embarrassing few months. The deep recession would carry Harper to his grave.
But the recession was short-lived and Iggy showed up with an empty bucket. His advisers kept him in low gear. Opposition leaders should only oppose, they told him. That might work for some, but not in Ignatieff’s case. He was a world-renowned intellectual. He was expected to have new and captivating ideas for a public that was fed up with old-style politics.
As for opposing, the Liberals haven’t done a good job of that either. They don’t know how to keep the government on the defensive. The leader is a talented writer but there’s been no show of rapier wit or memorable phrases cutting the prime minister to the quick.
There’s been little to separate him in the public mind from what Harper stands for. The notion that the Liberals could somehow capture the public imagination with an issue like employment insurance reform was cockeyed.
Iggy’s office, which has done a good job on party financing and organization, says the national media hasn’t been covering him this summer. The reason he hasn’t been covered is he has had nothing really striking to say. Had he gone to Washington to see his Liberal soulmate, Barack Obama, that would have made for big headlines. He hasn’t done it.
The latest brutal poll might actually do the Liberals some good. It might be the one that convinces them to change course. Dissenters close to the leader’s shop will now have the ammunition to demand a change of strategy. They must do so. Otherwise Iggy risks becoming Icarus.
Lawrence Martin
25 August 2009
It’s official. The Liberal party strategy is a dud. A new Ipsos Reid poll — Conservatives 39, Liberals 28 — is the latest signal. While no one should read too much into one opinion sampling, the downward trend has been apparent for months.
Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals are backpedalling toward the lows of Stéphane Dion — and they shouldn’t be surprised.
What else can be expected when you put out no new policies, no new vision, a leader who appears indecisive, and no sustained attack strategy on Stephen Harper?
The operation needs an overhaul and it needs it now. Iggy has been too beholden to a handful of advisers who brought him into politics. That’s what happened to Paul Martin. The former prime minister placed too much power in the hands of a few close political friends.
The plan after Ignatieff took over the leadership last December was to play it safe. Canadians would be happy to see Dion gone. They would be excited by Iggy’s fresh intellect. The Conservatives were coming off an embarrassing few months. The deep recession would carry Harper to his grave.
But the recession was short-lived and Iggy showed up with an empty bucket. His advisers kept him in low gear. Opposition leaders should only oppose, they told him. That might work for some, but not in Ignatieff’s case. He was a world-renowned intellectual. He was expected to have new and captivating ideas for a public that was fed up with old-style politics.
As for opposing, the Liberals haven’t done a good job of that either. They don’t know how to keep the government on the defensive. The leader is a talented writer but there’s been no show of rapier wit or memorable phrases cutting the prime minister to the quick.
There’s been little to separate him in the public mind from what Harper stands for. The notion that the Liberals could somehow capture the public imagination with an issue like employment insurance reform was cockeyed.
Iggy’s office, which has done a good job on party financing and organization, says the national media hasn’t been covering him this summer. The reason he hasn’t been covered is he has had nothing really striking to say. Had he gone to Washington to see his Liberal soulmate, Barack Obama, that would have made for big headlines. He hasn’t done it.
The latest brutal poll might actually do the Liberals some good. It might be the one that convinces them to change course. Dissenters close to the leader’s shop will now have the ammunition to demand a change of strategy. They must do so. Otherwise Iggy risks becoming Icarus.
I just had a thouht about why Harper seems to have the edge over the Liberals. He is more sarcastic than the Libs. His ministers are more sarcastic than Iggy's shadow cabinet. Sarcasm is the key if you want to get your sound bites out in the media. Perhaps we need a new party. The Sarcasm Party - We do not say much but we think we are funny could be the tag line. Then again - maybe I am just being Sarcastic!
Kelly McParland: The new, insufferable Ignatieff. Arrogance personified
Posted: September 14, 2009, 2:24 PM by NP Editor
It appears Hedy Fry was telling the truth when she claimed she had nothing to do with a demeaning flyer sent out by the Liberal Party, which suggested Canada is no longer a country worth being proud of. Badmouthing Canada and its place in the world appears, bizarrely enough, to be a new Liberal party strategy.
That became evident in an insulting, offensive speech delivered by party leader Michael Ignatieff to a lunchtime gathering of the Canadian Club of Ottawa today, the day of Parliament’s return. If you were wondering what Mr. Ignatieff did all summer, now you know: drinking deeply at the well of Liberal arrogance, filling himself with huge draughts of the conceit and self-importance so central to the party’s existence, to the point he is now capable of casually writing off whole sections of the country’s history and millions of Canadians because they don’t comply with the one essential element of true Canadianism: they aren’t Liberals.
The essence of the flyer sent out under Fry’s name is that Canadians can no longer be proud of their country, because it is run by Conservatives. That message was reinforced again and again by a sneering, dismissive Ignatieff. Never mind the democratic system, never mind that true Canadians love and respect their country no matter who occupies 24 Sussex or has the most seats in Parliament. To Ignatieff, as to so many Liberals before him, Canada only counts when it’s run by Liberals.
Listen to this hogwash:
“After the last four years, it’s hard to remember how much Canada once mattered,” Ignatieff claimed nonsensically, writing off the risks, sacrifices and achievements of Canada’s troops in Afghanistan as nothing. Canadians may care deeply about the men and women who have sacrificed their lives there -- they line the highway in honour every time another body comes home -- but to Ignatieff and his Liberals this is nothing to be proud of, not enough to make us “matter”.
Or this drivel:
“For the Conservative government of Stephen Harper, the international scene exists only to score points on the domestic scene. And our credibility on the international scene has suffered in consequence. The Conservatives are giving up Canada’s place in the world.”
So the Conservatives’ principled stand against China based on its human rights abuses is dismissed as a cheap grab for votes. From who, the huge Canadian Taiwanese community? Ignatieff is far more upset that we’re not angling for more trade with Beijing, as the Chretien government did so vociferously, because human rights can always be ignored when money’s on the line. Harper’s strong line on the Middle East -- which Mr. Ignatieff happens to share, though he neglected to mention it -- is forgotten. Far better to pander to fashionable assaults on Israel by leftwing cranks who think the only democracy in the Middle East is the equivalent of apartheid.
No, Mr. Ignatieff, in the unctuous, condescending tone he gets when he’s angling to establish his innate superiority, has concluded that Canada’s voice has gone mute: “They note our silence in international councils and ask: Where is Canada?” -- a notion that might come as a surprise to President Barack Obama Wednesday when he sits down for his latest face-to-face discussion with the Prime Minister.
Mr. Ignatieff is all trite talk and happy history. He hauls out all the hoary old Liberal icons -- blue helmets, peacekeeping, multilateralism, Lester Pearson. In what can only be classified as a direct accusation of racism, he asserted that Conservatives only care about white Canadians, charging that “if their name is Souad Mohammed, our government abandons them.” Ottawa may have mishandled the case of Suaad Hagi Mohamud -- Mr. Ignatieff’s deep concern apparently doesn’t entail spelling her name properly -- but deliberately mistaking bureaucratic bungling for deliberate government bigotry is beneath contempt.
Mr. Ignatieff declared that under Liberal plans for a “Big Canada” (because Canada under any other party is small, weak and unimportant) we would stay in Afghanistan beyond 2011, a position that ignores the fact the Liberals had to be dragged kicking and screaming into endorsing the Conservatives’ desire to keep them there even that long.
“Our Canada will champion an agenda of international governance reform ... and to ensure a truly inclusive global forum, we would offer to host and fund a permanent G-20 secretariat in Canada.” Oh boy, a new building full of civil servants in Ottawa. Now THAT will make us important.
Best of all, he pledges: “Our Canada will renew our relationship with the U.S. At a time when Europe is tearing down its borders, North America is raising fences between friends. The number of visitors to Canada from the United States has fallen to its lowest level in a generation. The impact on cross border trade will hurt the United States as much as it hurts us.”
So after Liberals spent eight years mocking, lampooning and insulting the U.S., when Liberal MPs stomped on replicas of the President and paraded around self-righteously denouncing a war in which American troops were giving their lives, after all that Mr. Ignatieff will now sail in and “renew our relationship.” Well gee, I bet they can hardly wait.
If this is the “new” Michael Ignatieff, the one who’s been in the development stages for the nine months since he assumed the Liberal leadership, they should stuff him in a crate and ship him back to Harvard. Canadians don’t need to be insulted by a man who thinks we’re small and unimportant and can only be made suitable for the world stage through the leadership of him and his insufferable party. Canadians took their measure of the Liberal party over decades of exposure, an experience Mr. Ignatieff didn’t share while he was living and working elsewhere. The party lost the last two elections as a direct result, and I can’t believe this kind of imperious sermonizing from a visiting professor is going to win back any of that lost respect.
Posted: September 14, 2009, 2:24 PM by NP Editor
It appears Hedy Fry was telling the truth when she claimed she had nothing to do with a demeaning flyer sent out by the Liberal Party, which suggested Canada is no longer a country worth being proud of. Badmouthing Canada and its place in the world appears, bizarrely enough, to be a new Liberal party strategy.
That became evident in an insulting, offensive speech delivered by party leader Michael Ignatieff to a lunchtime gathering of the Canadian Club of Ottawa today, the day of Parliament’s return. If you were wondering what Mr. Ignatieff did all summer, now you know: drinking deeply at the well of Liberal arrogance, filling himself with huge draughts of the conceit and self-importance so central to the party’s existence, to the point he is now capable of casually writing off whole sections of the country’s history and millions of Canadians because they don’t comply with the one essential element of true Canadianism: they aren’t Liberals.
The essence of the flyer sent out under Fry’s name is that Canadians can no longer be proud of their country, because it is run by Conservatives. That message was reinforced again and again by a sneering, dismissive Ignatieff. Never mind the democratic system, never mind that true Canadians love and respect their country no matter who occupies 24 Sussex or has the most seats in Parliament. To Ignatieff, as to so many Liberals before him, Canada only counts when it’s run by Liberals.
Listen to this hogwash:
“After the last four years, it’s hard to remember how much Canada once mattered,” Ignatieff claimed nonsensically, writing off the risks, sacrifices and achievements of Canada’s troops in Afghanistan as nothing. Canadians may care deeply about the men and women who have sacrificed their lives there -- they line the highway in honour every time another body comes home -- but to Ignatieff and his Liberals this is nothing to be proud of, not enough to make us “matter”.
Or this drivel:
“For the Conservative government of Stephen Harper, the international scene exists only to score points on the domestic scene. And our credibility on the international scene has suffered in consequence. The Conservatives are giving up Canada’s place in the world.”
So the Conservatives’ principled stand against China based on its human rights abuses is dismissed as a cheap grab for votes. From who, the huge Canadian Taiwanese community? Ignatieff is far more upset that we’re not angling for more trade with Beijing, as the Chretien government did so vociferously, because human rights can always be ignored when money’s on the line. Harper’s strong line on the Middle East -- which Mr. Ignatieff happens to share, though he neglected to mention it -- is forgotten. Far better to pander to fashionable assaults on Israel by leftwing cranks who think the only democracy in the Middle East is the equivalent of apartheid.
No, Mr. Ignatieff, in the unctuous, condescending tone he gets when he’s angling to establish his innate superiority, has concluded that Canada’s voice has gone mute: “They note our silence in international councils and ask: Where is Canada?” -- a notion that might come as a surprise to President Barack Obama Wednesday when he sits down for his latest face-to-face discussion with the Prime Minister.
Mr. Ignatieff is all trite talk and happy history. He hauls out all the hoary old Liberal icons -- blue helmets, peacekeeping, multilateralism, Lester Pearson. In what can only be classified as a direct accusation of racism, he asserted that Conservatives only care about white Canadians, charging that “if their name is Souad Mohammed, our government abandons them.” Ottawa may have mishandled the case of Suaad Hagi Mohamud -- Mr. Ignatieff’s deep concern apparently doesn’t entail spelling her name properly -- but deliberately mistaking bureaucratic bungling for deliberate government bigotry is beneath contempt.
Mr. Ignatieff declared that under Liberal plans for a “Big Canada” (because Canada under any other party is small, weak and unimportant) we would stay in Afghanistan beyond 2011, a position that ignores the fact the Liberals had to be dragged kicking and screaming into endorsing the Conservatives’ desire to keep them there even that long.
“Our Canada will champion an agenda of international governance reform ... and to ensure a truly inclusive global forum, we would offer to host and fund a permanent G-20 secretariat in Canada.” Oh boy, a new building full of civil servants in Ottawa. Now THAT will make us important.
Best of all, he pledges: “Our Canada will renew our relationship with the U.S. At a time when Europe is tearing down its borders, North America is raising fences between friends. The number of visitors to Canada from the United States has fallen to its lowest level in a generation. The impact on cross border trade will hurt the United States as much as it hurts us.”
So after Liberals spent eight years mocking, lampooning and insulting the U.S., when Liberal MPs stomped on replicas of the President and paraded around self-righteously denouncing a war in which American troops were giving their lives, after all that Mr. Ignatieff will now sail in and “renew our relationship.” Well gee, I bet they can hardly wait.
If this is the “new” Michael Ignatieff, the one who’s been in the development stages for the nine months since he assumed the Liberal leadership, they should stuff him in a crate and ship him back to Harvard. Canadians don’t need to be insulted by a man who thinks we’re small and unimportant and can only be made suitable for the world stage through the leadership of him and his insufferable party. Canadians took their measure of the Liberal party over decades of exposure, an experience Mr. Ignatieff didn’t share while he was living and working elsewhere. The party lost the last two elections as a direct result, and I can’t believe this kind of imperious sermonizing from a visiting professor is going to win back any of that lost respect.
Heard on CTV earlier the Conjobs are in the lead according to the surveys again. Iggy stick his foot in his mouth again?
I wonder if we'll ever get anything resembling a sensible human in the PMO. I usually hope for the best and expect the worst, but even my hopes are dormant these days.
And no friggin way I want to head for a ballot box again for a long time!
I wonder if we'll ever get anything resembling a sensible human in the PMO. I usually hope for the best and expect the worst, but even my hopes are dormant these days.
And no friggin way I want to head for a ballot box again for a long time!
For Liberals, new leader, same losing scenario TheStar.com - Canada - For Liberals, new leader, same losing scenario
September 18, 2009
Chantal Hébert
MONTREAL—In what increasingly looks like a case of Dion redux, Michael Ignatieff was poised to head down the same slippery election slope as his predecessor had the 40th Parliament died a swift death today.
Since the Liberal leader has gone on the election warpath, he and his strategists have largely recreated the dynamics that led to their party's demise last year. Over the past three weeks, Ignatieff has won skirmishes against the other opposition leaders, but lost the pre-election war to the Conservatives.
Today, Stephen Harper is nearer to closing a deal with the voters that stands to make a difference between a victory and an election defeat than when the Liberals first issued their fall election threat.
Unsurprisingly, Ignatieff's combative rhetoric played best with the Canadians who are so keen to oust the Conservatives from office that they will punctually gravitate to the only party with a realistic chance of unseating Harper.
Polls show the Liberals to be the second choice of a larger number of NDP and Bloc supporters than the Tories. Those voters are more likely to favour the advent of a Liberal government than the alternative. On that basis, the Liberals have skimmed a few points off the Bloc and the NDP in some regions of the country, notably Quebec.
That only confirms Ignatieff as the de facto winner in the race for the job he already has, that of leader of the opposition. If it were possible to win an election against the Conservatives by siphoning the support of the third parties, Stéphane Dion would have done it last year. He ultimately brought more positives to the sideshow of the battle of the opposition.
Ignatieff is less attractive to Green sympathizers than his environmentally minded predecessor. The Liberal leader's past stance on the Iraq war, his unwavering support for the Afghan mission more severely limit his appeal to NDP supporters. As opposed to Dion, Ignatieff can count on no native-son factor to make inroads in francophone Quebec.
But as Dion demonstrated, the battle for federal power will not be conclusively won on the crowded left side of the spectrum. The key to a Liberal victory or, for that matter, to a Conservative majority, lies on the opposite side, with the small-c conservative voters of suburban Canada and, in particular, Ontario.
A bulk of them voted Liberal in the Jean Chrétien era – at a time when the right seemed hopelessly divided. Many stuck with Paul Martin in 2004 because of his successful fiscal record, but also for fear of Harper's brand of conservatism.
Last fall, most small-c conservative voters felt that Dion was simply not qualified for the job of prime minister. Many stayed home on voting day. Over the past three weeks, they have been gravitating to the Conservatives in larger numbers than at any time since Ignatieff has become leader.
The Liberals who, in opposition, have never seen a path of least resistance they were not inclined to take will be sorely tempted to put the growing Conservative lead in voting intentions down to a momentary backlash against their role in triggering an unwanted election.
But Ignatieff's ratings have been on steeper decline than his party's since summer's end. He has yet to articulate a compelling narrative, not only for an election campaign but for his own leadership.
Having forced voters to give him a reluctant second look, the Liberal leader is so far failing to reintroduce himself to them on winning terms.
September 18, 2009
Chantal Hébert
MONTREAL—In what increasingly looks like a case of Dion redux, Michael Ignatieff was poised to head down the same slippery election slope as his predecessor had the 40th Parliament died a swift death today.
Since the Liberal leader has gone on the election warpath, he and his strategists have largely recreated the dynamics that led to their party's demise last year. Over the past three weeks, Ignatieff has won skirmishes against the other opposition leaders, but lost the pre-election war to the Conservatives.
Today, Stephen Harper is nearer to closing a deal with the voters that stands to make a difference between a victory and an election defeat than when the Liberals first issued their fall election threat.
Unsurprisingly, Ignatieff's combative rhetoric played best with the Canadians who are so keen to oust the Conservatives from office that they will punctually gravitate to the only party with a realistic chance of unseating Harper.
Polls show the Liberals to be the second choice of a larger number of NDP and Bloc supporters than the Tories. Those voters are more likely to favour the advent of a Liberal government than the alternative. On that basis, the Liberals have skimmed a few points off the Bloc and the NDP in some regions of the country, notably Quebec.
That only confirms Ignatieff as the de facto winner in the race for the job he already has, that of leader of the opposition. If it were possible to win an election against the Conservatives by siphoning the support of the third parties, Stéphane Dion would have done it last year. He ultimately brought more positives to the sideshow of the battle of the opposition.
Ignatieff is less attractive to Green sympathizers than his environmentally minded predecessor. The Liberal leader's past stance on the Iraq war, his unwavering support for the Afghan mission more severely limit his appeal to NDP supporters. As opposed to Dion, Ignatieff can count on no native-son factor to make inroads in francophone Quebec.
But as Dion demonstrated, the battle for federal power will not be conclusively won on the crowded left side of the spectrum. The key to a Liberal victory or, for that matter, to a Conservative majority, lies on the opposite side, with the small-c conservative voters of suburban Canada and, in particular, Ontario.
A bulk of them voted Liberal in the Jean Chrétien era – at a time when the right seemed hopelessly divided. Many stuck with Paul Martin in 2004 because of his successful fiscal record, but also for fear of Harper's brand of conservatism.
Last fall, most small-c conservative voters felt that Dion was simply not qualified for the job of prime minister. Many stayed home on voting day. Over the past three weeks, they have been gravitating to the Conservatives in larger numbers than at any time since Ignatieff has become leader.
The Liberals who, in opposition, have never seen a path of least resistance they were not inclined to take will be sorely tempted to put the growing Conservative lead in voting intentions down to a momentary backlash against their role in triggering an unwanted election.
But Ignatieff's ratings have been on steeper decline than his party's since summer's end. He has yet to articulate a compelling narrative, not only for an election campaign but for his own leadership.
Having forced voters to give him a reluctant second look, the Liberal leader is so far failing to reintroduce himself to them on winning terms.
Iggy is a blue liberal and he will take the west and Ontario and Quebec.
Harper has shown that he is not up for the job.
Liberal majority is an election away
Harper has shown that he is not up for the job.
Liberal majority is an election away
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (pauses, wipes eyes)HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA(Take the west! OMG!) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA(tries to catch breath)HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Michael Ignatief gave a good , solid speech to the Toronto board of trade the other night ..I was impressed by his enthusiasm and directness on the state of our economy...
I just wish there was 1 leading politician that could be trusted .. Tell it as it is really is ,give us the truth ,so we can all work together and change this country for the betterment of it's people ,our families ..our friends .So together ,cooperatively , we can work with diplomacy, to find agreement /middle ground /new ground with those, who may not share in our same beliefs and vision of the future.. Work hard at peace..without conflict , where/if possible......That is what it means to be Canadian ..
We are Peacekeepers /Peace makers ..not war mongers..We are 33,000,000 strong, proud and free ,running this huge country .There is much to be proud of , in being Canadian ..It's time we begin to work with others, to again show why, we are called a peaceful, yet strong and powerful Country.. ..
I just wish there was 1 leading politician that could be trusted .. Tell it as it is really is ,give us the truth ,so we can all work together and change this country for the betterment of it's people ,our families ..our friends .So together ,cooperatively , we can work with diplomacy, to find agreement /middle ground /new ground with those, who may not share in our same beliefs and vision of the future.. Work hard at peace..without conflict , where/if possible......That is what it means to be Canadian ..
We are Peacekeepers /Peace makers ..not war mongers..We are 33,000,000 strong, proud and free ,running this huge country .There is much to be proud of , in being Canadian ..It's time we begin to work with others, to again show why, we are called a peaceful, yet strong and powerful Country.. ..
Yep, thart's right....a nation of peace makers......that's why our Newfie friend made the longest sniper shot ever, 2430 meters....killing a Taliban fighter.....making him at peace. That's why we lost 110,000 men in foreign wars in the 20th century.....because we are so peaceful.....so peaceful that our soldiers were greatly feared among the enemy, moreso than any other nation's troops. And that's why today the Taliban will not come to grips with Canadian troops, because they also might be laid to rest.
(sarcasm alert)
read a little history, please. :roll:
Tories making inroads in Toronto, poll suggests
Thursday, September 24, 2009
CBC News
After a summer that saw the federal Conservatives and Liberals in a virtual tie, the Tories have opened up a comfortable lead over the Liberal Party and appear to be making a breakthrough in Toronto, a new poll suggests.
The EKOS poll, done exclusively for the CBC and released Thursday, shows the Tories with 37 per cent support, followed by the Liberals with 29.9 per cent. The New Democratic Party followed with 13.8 per cent, the Green Party with 10.2 per cent and the Bloc Quebecois with 9.1 per cent.
The Conservatives' lead widened from last week's poll, which saw them with 35.1 per cent support and the Liberals with 29.9 per cent. The NDP support dropped slightly from 16.5 per cent, with the Bloc and the Green Party remaining virtually the same.
Since May, the Tories and Liberals have appeared locked in a dead heat. Two weeks ago, however, Liberal support appeared to soften as the Tories took a small, but statistically significant lead. It was the biggest gap between the two parties seen all summer. That gap has widened over the past weeks.
The Tories also appear to be making headway in Toronto, having gained the highest level of support in the city since tracking began in May.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
CBC News
After a summer that saw the federal Conservatives and Liberals in a virtual tie, the Tories have opened up a comfortable lead over the Liberal Party and appear to be making a breakthrough in Toronto, a new poll suggests.
The EKOS poll, done exclusively for the CBC and released Thursday, shows the Tories with 37 per cent support, followed by the Liberals with 29.9 per cent. The New Democratic Party followed with 13.8 per cent, the Green Party with 10.2 per cent and the Bloc Quebecois with 9.1 per cent.
The Conservatives' lead widened from last week's poll, which saw them with 35.1 per cent support and the Liberals with 29.9 per cent. The NDP support dropped slightly from 16.5 per cent, with the Bloc and the Green Party remaining virtually the same.
Since May, the Tories and Liberals have appeared locked in a dead heat. Two weeks ago, however, Liberal support appeared to soften as the Tories took a small, but statistically significant lead. It was the biggest gap between the two parties seen all summer. That gap has widened over the past weeks.
The Tories also appear to be making headway in Toronto, having gained the highest level of support in the city since tracking began in May.
CTV.ca News Staff
Updated: Mon. Sep. 28 2009 9:20 PM ET
Denis Coderre has resigned as Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant and defence critic -- handing the Liberals a stunning internal blow from the man who was supposed to play a vital role in their next election campaign.
Coderre resigned over a disagreement about the political comeback of someone who is seen a potential rival of the Quebec MP.
Coderre told a Montreal news conference on Monday that he will remain a Member of Parliament, where he represents the riding of Bourassa.
"It is a tough decision, a very emotional one that I have to make today," Coderre said. "But I took four days on my own ... and I thought that I don't have any more the moral authority to remain as the Quebec lieutenant."
Jean Lapierre, a former Quebec lieutenant under Paul Martin, told CTV News that a backlash is brewing under Ignatieff.
"People feel Mr. Ignatieff doesn't have any loyalty. They feel he betrayed Mr. Coderre," he said Monday.
Updated: Mon. Sep. 28 2009 9:20 PM ET
Denis Coderre has resigned as Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant and defence critic -- handing the Liberals a stunning internal blow from the man who was supposed to play a vital role in their next election campaign.
Coderre resigned over a disagreement about the political comeback of someone who is seen a potential rival of the Quebec MP.
Coderre told a Montreal news conference on Monday that he will remain a Member of Parliament, where he represents the riding of Bourassa.
"It is a tough decision, a very emotional one that I have to make today," Coderre said. "But I took four days on my own ... and I thought that I don't have any more the moral authority to remain as the Quebec lieutenant."
Jean Lapierre, a former Quebec lieutenant under Paul Martin, told CTV News that a backlash is brewing under Ignatieff.
"People feel Mr. Ignatieff doesn't have any loyalty. They feel he betrayed Mr. Coderre," he said Monday.
Ignatieff should take the opportunity and clean out all the Chrietien-ites now. He should kick Coderre out of caucus for the insubordination he showed yesterday. The one right theing he did is abolish the post of Quebec Lieutenant - stop treating Quebec differently from the rest.
Iggy should have grabbed power when he had the chance.. Would have showed real strength/leadership and with a coalition, as along as he didn't dictate and rule with an iron fist .. Canada/Canadians as a whole ..would have been better off for it.
First of all, Ignatieff was not even Liberal leader in the days of a possible coalition.
Second of all, a coalition with the BQ as an influential silent partner borders on sedition, IMHO......and in the opinion of the mass of Canadians outside of Quebec....if one believes the polls at the time.
I wish Harper had asked for dissolution.....he would have won a majority if granted.........likewise if Dion had ruled, but Harper would have to wait for a couple of years.
Miscalculation on his part....
Iggy had a chance to keep the coalition alive but did not..B.Q is there..Canada as a whole could have had more influence over BQ in a coalition...
Dion would have made a great coalition leader ..
Oh well didn't happen ..Harper is the P.M.
Dion would have made a great coalition leader ..
Oh well didn't happen ..Harper is the P.M.