There are no polling numbers on how Jews – or any other religious or ethnic group - vote in Canada.
"In the U.S., they profile people that way, but it's not a common practice in Canada to ask people their race or religion," said pollster Nik Nanos.
The only hard statistics are these: In four out of the five ridings where Jewish voters make up a sizeable minority of the electorate, the Liberal vote declined significantly between the 2006 and 2008 elections –- at more than double the rate in the rest of the country.
The Tory vote in those ridings shot up anywhere from six to twelve times the national average -- enough for Thornhill to go Conservative.
Riding | % Jewish voters | Change in share of popular vote: Liberals | Change in share of popular vote: Conservatives |
Thornhill | 36.6 % | -13.7 | +15.3 |
Mont Royal | 36.3% | -9.9% | +9.43 |
York Centre | 23.7% | -9.2 | +7.9 |
Eglinton-Lawrence | 18.6% | -8.9% | +9 |
St. Paul's | 18.3% | -.4% | +1.1% |
Canada-wide change in popular vote
Liberals: -4%
Conservatives: +1.3%