NDP gov’t rides COVID-19 response to 19-point lead over Liberals in new poll
Posted September 4, 2020 11:21 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Premier John Horgan and his NDP government would fare well if an early fall election was called in B.C., according to a new poll.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute shows a massive lead in popularity for the provincial NDP government over other parties.
The NDP has opened a 19-point lead over the opposition B.C. Liberals, with nearly half of residents saying they would cast votes for the party that currently forms a minority government.
The Liberals had support from 29 per cent of respondents, while the B.C. Green Party garnered 14 per cent.
B.C. Spotlight: Massive lead over opposition may make an election irresistible to the NDP, but risks lie aheadhttps://t.co/tWTDAK0Uvg pic.twitter.com/K1mbsrpbSa
— Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) September 4, 2020
The B.C. NDP also has an even greater lead in Metro Vancouver, with 53 per cent support from respondents compared to 26 for the Liberals
Four-in-five residents say the Horgan government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been good.
“The No. 1 metric by which British Columbians are gauging how this government has been doing has been its response to the coronavirus,” said Angus Reid executive director Shachi Kurl.
“On that front, British Columbians do give this government high marks.”
READ ALSO: More Canadians feeling good about own finances during COVID-19 pandemic: poll
British Columbians, however, are critical of the government’s response to the opioid epidemic, with 22 per cent of respondents indicating the province has done well on that front.
More than 70 per cent feel the government has done a poor job regarding the overdose crisis, which has seen a record number of overdose deaths.
The poll also found NDP voters are more likely to express discomfort with in-person voting, if an election was called, than others.
A third say they would not be comfortable heading to the polls in person this fall as they would during a normal year, due to concerns about the coronavirus.
