Conservatives, NDP statistically tied: poll

OTTAWA – The NDP and Conservatives are statistically tied, according to the latest public opinion poll by Nanos Research.

If a vote were held today, the Conservatives would have 34.7 per cent of the ballots, while the NDP would have 32.4 per cent, a gap that is within the poll’s margin of error.

The Liberals are in third place at 23.3 per cent, followed by the Greens at 4.2 per cent and the Bloc Québécois at 3.9 per cent.

Little more than a month after he was elected leader of the NDP, Thomas Mulcair has also moved ahead of Liberal leader Bob Rae to take second place on the “Leadership Index Score” where he now sits 12 points behind Prime Minister Stephen Harper who retained the top spot despite dropping 36.6 points to 65.8. Rae’s score was listed as 36.5 points.

Harper’s leadership score is the lowest he’s received since Nanos started tracking it.

“With relatively stable Tory ballot support, the research suggests that recent controversies have likely had a negative impact on the Harper brand,” the polling firm said on its website, noting the NDP leadership race certainly gave the official Opposition a boost.

“Overall, one data point a trend does not make. We will have to monitor the tracking on a go forward basis to see if this is the new normal or if the trend line readjusts.”

From a scathing auditor general’s report on the cost of the F-35, to massive job and service cuts in the latest budget, the Conservatives have had no shortage of scandals to weather.

The so-called robocall scheme to influence the outcome of the last election and travel expenses by International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda – who, during a trip to London, hired a limo service, bought a $16 orange juice and traded a reservation at one swanky hotel for an even swankier one all on the public dime – are just some of the other controversies the governing party has faced.

According to the poll, jobs, the economy and health care were nearly tied for top issue of concern to Canadians.

One in 10 Canadians cited education as a top concern, possibly the result of the attention Quebec has received over tuition hikes that have prompted widespread violent protest.

The random telephone survey of 1,200 Canadians was conducted between April 13 and 18.

The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.