Canadians split on removing Tories from power: poll

[Clintonista2]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081202/poll_future_081202/20081202?hub=TopStories

In the midst of a coalition showdown, Canadians are deeply divided on whether the Conservatives deserve to stay in power, with 35 per cent saying the party should continue to govern and 40 per cent wanting change, according to an Angus Reid Strategies poll for CTV News.

If the government does collapse, respondents were equally split on whether a coalition government would be the best option for Canada.

Slightly more than a third of Canadians said they would support a coalition government formed by the opposition, when asked about their preferred solution if the government falls:

Opposition coalition: 37 per cent
Holding a federal election: 32 per cent
No sure: 24 per cent
Allowing the opposition to run by accord: 7 per cent

== == ==

The survey also asked respondents about the issues that sparked serious discussion between the Liberals, NDP and Bloc about a coalition: the need for a significant stimulus package for the economy, and whether political parties should receive public funding.

A full 75 per cent thought the government should implement a stimulus package as soon as possible, while 17 per cent disagreed.

Thirty-four per cent supported political parties receiving public funding based on $1.95 per vote in the general election, while 48 per cent sent thought the parties should rely solely on their own fundraising.

Technical notes:

The online poll was conducted from Dec. 1 to 2
It's based on 1,012 randomly-selected Canadian adults
The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20
The results are statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region census data

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[HeresyLives]

1. Too early for polls.

Coalition only formed yesterday, financial plan only out today. Before that it was all spec, so Canadians had nothing to go on but that.

[Metric System]

2. But the Conservative war room is revving up and the media seems to be trying to aid Harper too. I

wasn't shocked by CTV's bias but even the CBC seemed to be presenting the coalition as a negative (for example, a preview for a segment on public reaction only showed negative responses).

[Rainforestgoddess]

3. I was watching CBC news today

and they were not biased against a coalition that I noticed. Lots of 'man on the street' bits with people who wanted to give the coalition a go. CTV tonight on the other hand, made it seem as though our toasters would strangle us in our sleep if a coalition that included the bloc got in power.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

5. CPC hypocrisy

the Bloc weren't considered a threat when they supplied confidence votes for the last Harper government. The Bloc won't be taking cabinet posts in the coalition, just merely supplying confidence votes.

[Mother Jones]

4. I thought the same thing, watching the National!

They are legitimizing Harper's attack on our democracy. Just yesterday, the same show was so positive, and I thought they went a long way to easing people into the idea of how good a coalition can truly be.

Last night, I got the feeling the coalition had little chance.

[iverglas]

6. watch for the Broadbent interview

Ed was on Newsworld this morning around 10, I'm sure it will be rerun. I hope. Straight talk from a master of it. Harper lied, and let him repeat that and cite a few more lies: Harper lied. And Clark and Stanfield were people of integrity and would never have behaved like this, and would have accepted the will of the House without question, as would Ed and the NDP were they in Harper's position.

I think they're doing a relatively good job of informing, about parliamentary government.

My own private poll -- two immigrant cab drivers on Saturday -- showed that the respondents absolutely understood that this was a perfectly legitimate exercise of parliamentary democracy. They just weren't sure it was a good idea, what with the economy and all ... wtf? Of course, one of them was an economist of the supply-side school. ;)

[glarius]

10. Broadbent's interview was the best I've seen yet in rebuttal to the Con's lies.

Perhaps they should make an ad out of it. Ed Broadbent has always been admired and respected by people of all political persuasions.

[glarius]

7. Since the main objection seems to be against Dion as P.M....why

don't spokespersons for the coalition, and even Dion himself, go on TV and make it clear that Dion will only be P.M for a couple of months till a new leader is elected? Most of the objections I have heard voiced in the man-in-the-street interviews have been with regards to Dion. People seem to think he will be permanent.

[Mother Jones]

8. good point...

But did you see him in the house yesterday? Literally spitting mad.....I was so pleased to see him get all fired up like that.

[glarius]

9. Yes...he was great.....but the public does not accept him as a

leader, unfortunately.

[iverglas]

11. I'm not against Dion as PM ...

Remember. I was the one who picked him for leader. ;)

I thought he looked kinda dumb all fired up. It's not his shtick. And I'm not sure that people are impressed by yelling and scowling.

I wished Broadbent had said a bit different on the question about him. Dion is a reasonable and sincere man, to the extent anybody is anyhow. I'm happy with reasonable and sincere, even if it's Liberal, in the present circumstances. He has qualities that are good on their own, even if he doesn't do well at shouting matches and righteous indignation.

I hope having him at the wheel will embolden that old "left wing" of the Liberal Party, and with the pressure from the left, both NDP and Bloc, it might lead to some interesting things. I'm not at all eager to see him replaced, let alone by Ignatieff. And I say that in the interests of the country, not out of partisan hopes for point scoring if Dion flubs it.

In fact I would not think it wise to try to make replacing him a selling point. That's a bit like asking people to buy a pig in a poke, even more than they feel they're being asked to do at present. Stability is what people are after. Just get him in, and let him do his own thing, and live or die by it, I guess.

[Mother Jones]

12. No, not his shtick

but was not the picture of "weak" that has been painted of him. I saw a man, sick and tired and frustrated by the Harper spin machine.

Maybe I saw myself too, in that situation, losing my cool in frustration? I certainly have been doing alot of that lately, to anyone who will listen.

I never disliked Dion....remembering all too well, the alternative was Iggy. I recall feeling very proud and satisfied that day.

[iverglas]

13. oh, I don't mind losing cool

I just don't think Dion does it particularly effectively. ;)

Unfortunately he also doesn't do bitingly calm sarcasm or anything else along that line well. He's just too damned reasonable and sincere!

[offog]

14. I agree with you, glarius ,,,

about how the coalition should "go on TV and make it clear that Dion will only be P.M. for a couple of months until a new leader is elected." Damn good idea. I also think that the Liberals and NDP should rev up their PR machines, because the Tories are doing an ad campaign. I think Harper will prorogue Parliament to delay the confidence vote, and use the time to do a serious bash job on the coalition, saying that it's undemocratic, etc. The coalition kind of has public opinion on its side now, just barely. That could change after the voters get hit with Tory attack ads.

BTW, this argument that Canada elected a Conservative government is bogus. It's a MINORITY government, remember? More people voted against the Tories than for them.