Liberals lead, but Conservatives narrow gap: Mainstreet poll

The federal Liberals are hurting a bit in the polls, but they would still form government if there was an election today, according Mainstreet Research.

The latest Mainstreet Research poll surveyed 9,401 eligible Canadian voters by phone and has a margin of error of about one per cent.

Among all people surveyed, support for the Liberals was at 36 per cent with the Conservatives sitting at 33 per cent and the NDP at 10 per cent.

The divide between east and west was clear, with the Liberals polling far ahead in Ontario at 43 per cent, Quebec at 47 per cent and Atlantic Canada at 52 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, Western Canada went the other way – with voters in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba all leaning heavily toward the Conservatives.

The Conservatives lead in the Prairies with 48 per cent support, while 32 per cent of respondents said they would vote Liberal and 11 per cent said they would support the NDP. In Alberta the poll showed 61 per cent supporting the Conservatives, 27 per cent supporting the Liberals and 6 per cent saying they would vote NDP.

The poll suggests the Conservatives have gained support under the leadership of Andrew Scheer among ‘decided and leaning voters’ while Liberal support was almost flat.

Mainstreet Research President Quito Maggi suggests the governing party is “feeling the sting of the PR setback from Trudeau’s India trip.” He attributed a six per cent decline in Liberal support in B.C. to the government’s stance on the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

The survey also asked about support for the Liberal’s proposals on stricter gun control laws, finding that 67 per cent of people who responded agree at least somewhat about the proposals. People polled on the Prairies and Alberta were more opposed to gun control.

You can find the full results of the poll online.