So says Allen Gregg, chairman of the Strategic Counsel, whose latest indicates that:
The events of the week do not appear to have given Mr. Harper's party a bounce in the polls. The [Strategic Counsel] poll found that 36 per cent of Canadians would vote Conservative if an election were held today, the same number who voted Tory in the January election. The Liberals, by contrast, are down three points to 27 per cent, while the NDP is up one point to 19 per cent.
(Note: the last Strategic Counsel poll had the Tories at 35%)
Other poll results include:
Canadians are also more supportive of the [Afghanistan] mission, with 48 per cent saying they back sending the troops, compared with 44 per cent who oppose the move. Support now outweighs opposition by four percentage points, compared with earlier this month when opposition outweighed support by 14 points.
Mr. Gregg says the figures show that Canadians are not prepared to use the threat of terrorism as an excuse to get out of Afghanistan. Interestingly, support for the mission has increased the most in the province of Quebec, where 39 per cent support the move, up from 27 per cent last month.
And also:
When asked what they believe are the best measures to fight the war on terrorism, most prefer deportations or jail time for offenders rather than infiltrating the Muslim community with agents or restricting immigration from Muslim countries.
...which makes me proud to be a Canadian (although frankly you probably do need "agents" who can pass for Muslim if you want to root out extremist cells within the community).
I'm delighted that Harper has not jumped in the polls yet.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I am still concerned that Harper is working on a longer term shift in Canadian perception. The fear mongering of the last week has been palpable and plays right into Harper's "war on terrorism" theme. If he successfully makes that the issue in the next election he stands a good chance of victory.