Left takes a strong lead in Canada elections – poll

OTTAWA, Canada – Canada’s leftist New Democrats took a giant leap ahead of rivals in an election campaign in which the Tories are seeking a fourth mandate since 2006, according to the latest poll Thursday, August 27.

Thomas Mulcair’s New Democrats have the support of 40% of Canadians surveyed, enough to win a majority government, according to the Forum Research poll.

Backing for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, meanwhile, has plummeted to 23%, while the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau, the son of late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, moved up to second spot with 30 percent support.

Earlier polling had the three parties neck and neck coming out of the gate.

According to Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff, the polls reflect a slumping economy, market turmoil and a Senate spending scandal playing out in court this month with former senior Harper aides called to testify hurt the Tories.

On Tuesday, the government statistical agency is expected to release new growth figures confirming what economists have been speculating – that Canada is in a recession.

Bozinoff told the daily Toronto Star, “If this economy goes south it’s over for the Tories.”

“They’ve built a lot of their campaign around being great economic managers,” he explained.

The survey of 1,440 Canadians was conducted on August 23 and 24, and is considered accurate with a three-percent margin of error. – Rappler.com