NDP support in Quebec drops

Liberals still No. 2, but see poll numbers rise

The New Democratic Party still ranks first among federal voters in Quebec, but an online poll conducted by Leger Marketing for the

Montreal Gazette and Le Devoir, shows support among federal voters in Quebec in a steep decline.

Support for the NDP is now at 27 per cent, having dropped six points since October, and 15 points since the late Jack Layton led the party to a stunning second-place showing and status as the official Opposition in the federal general election last May.

Meanwhile, the Liberals, with Bob Rae as interim leader, have climbed by five points since December to 14 per cent.

Support for the Bloc Québécois rose by one point to 27 per cent while Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives appear to be less popular with Quebec voters than ever, sagging to 15 per cent from 18 points in December.

Among those polled, 71 per cent said they were not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with the Harper government. Just four per cent of respondents said they were very happy with the Conservatives in Ottawa.

The survey of 1,001 Quebecers was conducted between Jan. 23 and 25, with a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Last week the New Democrats, who are in the process of selecting Layton’s successor as leader, downplayed another poll which put support for the party in Quebec down nearly 50 per cent from their postelection high.

The CROP online survey conducted for the Quebec newspapers La Presse and Le Soleil between Jan. 19 and 23 gave the NDP 29 per cent support among decided voters, down from the 53 per cent support the party enjoyed in the province in June, weeks after the May election.

But the NDP stressed Wednesday it remained the No. 1 choice for Quebecers.

“Four years away from an election we don’t focus on public polls. We look at trend lines and the trend in Quebec is that we are still the ... favourite party,” said interim leader Nycole Turmel’s principal secretary, Brad Lavigne.