It might be the beginning of the 2013 provincial election campaign, but the polls show an old story: a large lead for the NDP.
Ipsos Reid’s first poll of the campaign found the NDP at 48%, the BC Liberals at 29%, the BC Conservatives at 11% and the Green Party at 9%.
The 19 per cent gap between the Liberals and NDP remains unchanged from their last poll in March. What has changed is the support for the Conservatives and Greens, both of whom rose two points.
Kyle Braid, Ipsos Reid Vice-President, says an increase in support for secondary parties is commonly seen at the beginning of election periods.
“I’m not surprised that this kind of shift happens at the star of the campaign,” he says.
“People start paying more attention to provincial politics…and the focus of politics shifts away from Christy Clark and Adrian Dix and the BC Government to local issues, local candidates, and when people focus on that, sometimes we see movement.”
On the question of who would make the best premier, Adrian Dix continues to lead, with 36% preferring him, compared to 23% for Clark.
“A thirteen per cent margin between Dix and Clark…that’s the number if the Liberals are going to have any chance,” says Braid.
Braid cautioned that anything can happen during the course of a campaign, but at this time, the current priorities of voters don’t favour Clark.
“The overall appetite right now is definitely for change.
“When we do our polling, no particular issue like health care or education leaps to the front, it’s not necessarily just about the economy, there’s no single let’s fix-it issue. It’s about trust, it’s about the Liberal record, it’s largely about change.”
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