Support for Nova Scotia Liberals rises: poll

Support for the Liberals among Nova Scotia voters has rebounded this quarter, according to new poll results released Wednesday.

The survey, which was conducted by Corporate Research Associates throughout the month of May, shows that 45 per cent of decided and leaning voters prefer the governing Liberals. This is compared to 37 per cent in February when support for the Liberals was at its lowest level since the election.

According to the poll, preference for the Progressive Conservative Party rests at 29 per cent, compared with 34 per cent last quarter, while 23 per cent support the New Democratic Party, down from 25 per cent. Three per cent of decided and leaning voters said they support the Green Party, down from four per cent.

Twenty-nine per cent of respondents were undecided, while six per cent refused to state a preference and four per cent said they either don’t support one of these parties or do not plan to vote. Interestingly, another polling company, MQO research, had the Liberals trending downward with 40 per cent support in their last survey, which was released in mid-may.

According to CRA’S poll, satisfaction with government has also rebounded from its lowest point last quarter — 45 per cent of Nova Scotians say they are satisfied with the performance of Mcneil’s Liberal government, up from 38 per cent, while 45 per cent say they are dissatisfied, down from 56 per cent. Nine per cent did not offer a definite opinion. For leader preference, 30 per cent of Nova Scotians said they supported Premier Stephen Mcneil, compared to 27 per cent in February, while preference for Progressive Conservative interim leader Karla Macfarlane declined to 20 per cent from 25.

Support for NDP leader Gary Burrill was at 18 per cent in May, compared with 21 in February, while preference for Thomas Trappenberg of the Green Party rests unchanged at four per cent, and backing for Ryan Smyth of the Atlantica Party is at one per cent (compared with less than one per cent last quarter). Twenty-one per cent did not offer a definite opinion, and six per cent said they preferred none of the leaders.