NDP widens lead in new B.C election poll, but not by much

The B.C. NDP hold a nine-point lead over the B.C. Liberals heading into the final days of the election campaign, according to a new poll conducted exclusively for CTV and The Globe and Mail.

The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll, which surveyed 808 voters, shows that 45 per cent of respondents intend to vote for the NDP on May 14, while 36 per cent intend to vote for the Liberals. The NDP hold a lead over the Liberals in every major region across the province, including the Interior, which has traditionally been a Liberal stronghold.

B.C. NDP Leader Adrian Dix said Friday night that he was not worried about the polls encouraging complacency among New Democrats.

"We've got to work this campaign right through to the end and we're going to," Mr. Dix told reporters after a rally in the Vancouver Island community of Parksville.

He said New Democrats in campaign offices are going all out as opposed to B.C Liberals.

"A lot of the Liberal campaign is paid phone banks. Our volunteers are going to work it right through to the end," said Mr. Dix.

"We're going to work it right through to eight o'clock on election night."

The previous Angus Reid poll, released on May 3, had the two parties slightly closer, with the Liberals trailing by just seven points.

The new numbers show that the B.C. Greens slipped from 12 to 9 per cent, and the B.C. Conservatives from 10 to 6 per cent.

While the NDP increased its lead over the Liberals, both parties made a gain in overall support from the previous poll. This is likely the result of respondents being asked in this poll which party they would support in their individual constituency, rather than which party they would generally support, as was the question in previous polls.

"What we see is the Liberal strength coming from B.C. Conservative supporters who can't find someone in their riding to support, or they say, 'Well, if the option is an NDP government or voting for Christy Clark and the Liberals, then I'll vote for the Liberals,' " said Mario Canseco, vice-president of Angus Reid Public Opinion. "And I think we're seeing the same trend happen with the NDP in the areas where there is no Green candidate."

Just one month ago, the NDP held a 17-point lead over the Liberals, and in the months leading up to the campaign, pollsters had the difference as high as 20 points.