Latest poll puts NDP in second place, five points behind Conservatives
Posted April 28, 2011 10:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – A number of polls over the past week have put Jack Layton and the New Democrats in second place ahead of the May 2 election, and new numbers released Thursday show the NDP’s popularity continues to surpass that of the Liberals.
The Harris-Decima survey puts the Conservatives at 35 per cent voter support, the New Democrats at 30 per cent, and the Liberals further back at 22 per cent. The results have both the Conservatives and the Liberals on attack.
“Higher GST, higher sales tax. In Nova Scotia, [the] first thing the NDP did when they took power – hike the HST there by two per cent,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a Niagara Falls campaign stop on Thursday.
Harper warned that a Jack Layton-led coalition government would kill jobs and raise gas prices, while making no mention of the Grits.
“20 billion dollars of carbon taxes – experts say you’re talking 10 cents more a litre in gasoline,” the Conservative leader added.
During a stop in Quebec, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff urged Canadians to look beyond the smile and take a closer look at the NDP platform, saying it is too vague on serious issues.
“We gotta be clear on the constitution, we gotta be clear on culture, we gotta be clear on the gun registry,” he said. “It’s the minimum condition for being a serious party. We are clear Jack Layton is not.”
In addition, both parties are also questioning the dedication of the NDP after reports that a Quebec-based candidate took a trip to Las Vegas in the middle of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Layton’s main focus is on getting out the vote on Monday.
“Get out there and knock on doors and call your neighbours, and encourage everybody to get out to the polls,” he said.
The NDP has received an abundance of donations, which currently stand at $2.5 million since the campaign began.
