BC NDP leads on key issues but lag on economy, new poll finds

With eight weeks to go until B.C.’s provincial election, a major business group has released a new poll taking British Columbia’s temperature on economic issues.

The survey, commissioned by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and conducted by Counsel Public Affairs, identified health care (57 per cent), the cost of living (50 per cent) and housing (45 per cent) as the top three issues on voters’ minds.

According to the poll, more voters found the governing NDP best suited to handle the health care system, tackling the cost of living, addressing the housing crisis, and education issues.

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The BC Conservatives were best positioned to keep taxes low, balance the budget, address crime and public safety and encourage more business investment, the poll found.

But the poll also found serious concerns among voters about those economic issues, B.C. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Fiona Famulak said.

“This poll demonstrates that the vast majority of British Columbians understand the link between a strong economy, a healthy business community, and the provision of public services by government,” she said.

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“Sixty-one per cent in the poll tell us that they believe a strong economy ensures the provincial government can make investments in health care, education and other public services.”

The poll found just 14 per cent of respondents felt opportunities for business had improved in their communities, compared to 39 per cent who felt they had worsened.

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That concern appeared heightened in the business community, where 65 per cent of employers said government regulatory changes were causing investment uncertainty. Sixty-eight per cent said projects took longer to complete in B.C. than in Alberta, while 72 per cent said the cost of doing business was higher.

“These are important insights,” Famulak said.

“The longer this type of environment continues, one in which businesses struggle, one in which regulatory change feeds uncertainty, the more likely the opportunities for growth that come our way will slip through our fingers.”

Despite concern on these issues, a majority of voters had a positive impression of NDP Leader David Eby, with a net-positive impression of 15 per cent.

That’s compared to BC Conservative Leader John Rustad who had a net-negative impression of -6 per cent and BC United Leader Kevin Falcon who had a net-negative impression of -30 per cent. BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau had a net-positive impression of 8 per cent.

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The poll also found the BC NDP continuing to lead the race overall.

Thirty-two per cent said they’d vote for the NDP, compared to 26 per cent for the BC Conservatives, 8 per cent for BC United and 7 per cent for the BC Greens, with a whopping 21 per cent still undecided.

With undecided voters removed and looking at leaning and decided voters, the NDP led with 43 per cent support compared to 35 per cent for the BC Conservtives, 12 per cent for BC United and 10 per cent for the BC Greens.

B.C.’s provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 19.

The poll was conducted between Aug. 6 and Aug. 14 among an online panel of 2,008 adult British Columbians. Margin of error is not applicable for online surveys, however, if the survey was a probability-based random sample of the same size, it would be considered accurate to +/-2 per cent 19 times out of 20.