FEDERAL GREEN SUPPORT SURGES IN P.E.I.: CRA POLL
Numbers slip for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government
The federal Green Party appears to be benefiting from a recent surge in support for the provincial party in Prince Edward Island.
According to a Corporate Research Associates poll released Tuesday, support for the federal Greens in P.E.I. has increased from 17 to 19 per cent from February to May 2018.
That number is the highest by far of any Atlantic Canadian province — Nova Scotia and New Brunswick support for the Greens sits at 5 and 6 per cent, respectively, while none of the respondents in Newfoundland and Labrador indicated support for the party.
The federal poll comes less than a week after another CRA poll indicating the Greens and Liberals were in a virtual tie in popularity in P.E.I. — Wade MacLauchlan’s Liberals with 34 per cent and Peter Bevan-Baker’s Greens at 33 per cent.
Support for the federal Liberals also continued to slide in this week’s poll.
In P.E.I., 53 per cent of people said they were either mostly satisfied or completely satisfied with the overall performance of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, down from 57 per cent in February.
Twenty-six per cent and 18 per cent said they were mostly dissatisfied or completely dissatisfied, respectively.
The Conservative Party continued to be the most direct beneficiary of the Liberals’ downswing, with its support climbing from 23 per cent in February to 27 per cent in May.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer also saw a surge from 16 to 27 per cent, while the prime minister’s support declined slightly from 39 to 37 per cent.
These poll results represent the first quarter the Liberal government did not receive majority support in Atlantic Canada since the October 2015 federal election. One-half of residents are satisfied with the performance of the federal government.
While the Liberals continue to enjoy a substantial lead in terms of voting intentions in the region, preference for the Liberals has declined.
The results are based on a sample of 1,500 adult Atlantic Canadians 18 years of age or older, conducted May 3-28
with overall results accurate to within plus or minus 2.5 percentage points or 95 out of 100 times.