A new poll suggests the New Democratic Party’s popularity in Quebec may not have been a fad.
The LaPresse-CROP poll found that if elections were held today, the NDP would receive 42 per cent of the votes in Quebec, way ahead of the Liberals, who would receive 25 per cent and the Conservatives with 15 per cent.
The Bloc Quebecois, still smarting from the electoral drubbing it took in 2011, would finish dead last among the major parties with 13 per cent of the vote.
The NDP seems to have stolen support from the other major parties, surging 11 percentage points in a month while the Liberals and Tories each dropped by four percentage points and the Bloc fell by five.
CROP vice president Youri Rivest pointed out nothing specific has happened in Quebec to explain this popularity increase for the NDP, and suggested the Alberta provincial NDP’s win earlier this month may have played a part in the NDP’s rise here.
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair is also seen as the best choice for prime minster according to 37 per cent of poll respondents, eclipsing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who was chosen by 16 per cent, and Harper with 14 per cent. This is the first time in two years that Trudeau’s score dropped under 20 per cent. In August 2014, 29 per cent of poll respondents chose Trudeau as the best choice for the top job.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Montreal Thursday on a trip many observers considered to be an attempt to bolster support in this province. The Tories currently hold five seats in Quebec.
Harper was in the Quebec City area Friday, and said his party offers a "balanced budget and security" when asked about preventing another orange wave in Quebec.
