NDP Leader Jack Layton is on the way up in Quebec, while Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is still going down, according to a new poll.
The survey of 1,002 respondents in Quebec, conducted earlier this month, found that Mr. Layton has upward momentum in terms of inspiring trust among voters. Mr. Layton is scoring a strong second in most categories, behind either Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe or Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. Mr. Ignatieff, on the other hand, comes in last place.
The results are surprising, given that the NDP only has one seat in Quebec, compared to the Liberals’ 14. However, the poll numbers confirm that the NDP’s second-place showing in a Montreal riding in a recent by-election was not a fluke, and that the Liberals are still struggling in Quebec after a controversy-filled autumn.
The poll was conducted by Repère Communication Recherche, which also acts as the pollster for the Bloc Québécois.
Overall, Mr. Duceppe is the most trusted party leader in Quebec, at 31.1-per cent. However, his rating has dropped 2.3 points since October, while Mr. Layton’s trust rating, at 21.8-per cent, was up by 3.6 points over the last two months. Mr. Harper came in third at 20.3-per cent (down 2.7 points), while Mr. Ignatieff was far behind in fourth place, at 9.3-per cent (down 2.8 points).
The rankings among the four were the same when respondents were asked to name the most honest party leader, with Mr. Duceppe coming in first and Mr. Ignatieff coming in fourth.
While Mr. Duceppe ranked first in terms of competence (29.4-per cent), Mr. Harper (21.9-per cent) jumped ahead of Mr. Layton (16.8-per cent) in that category. Mr. Ignatieff came in fourth at 10.2-per cent.
In the event of another election, 29.3-per cent of respondents said that Mr. Harper would make the best prime minister, followed closely by Mr. Layton at 28.2-per cent, with Mr. Ignatieff in third place at 22.8-per cent.
Mr. Layton’s relatively strong showing likely reflects the thirst among Quebec federalists for a left-wing alternative to Mr. Harper.
Mr. Ignatieff’s score is a reflection of a shaky performance this fall, in which the Liberal Party tried to bring down the Conservative government and then retrenched. There was further turmoil when the Liberal Party’s most visible face in Quebec, MP Denis Coderre, resigned as lieutenant over a power struggle with Liberal officials in Toronto.
More than half of the respondents in the poll (58-per cent) said they felt the Liberals should chose a new leader before the next election, while 30.9-per cent said that Mr. Ignatieff should remain at the helm.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 per cent.
(Photo: Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)
