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Canadians Don't Want Iggy: Poll

23K views 384 replies 38 participants last post by  screature 
#1 ·
Seems that Iggy supporters are sucking air:

But it also said a majority of respondents, 55 per cent, did not agree the Liberals are ready to govern again.

Nor did 72 per cent of those polled want the official opposition party to defeat the government and trigger an election as soon as possible.


Grits lead Tories, but Harper tops Ignatieff: Poll

Canadians prefer Harper to Ignatieff by a wide margin on issues of vision, trust and ability to lead during tough economic times, said the poll of 1,001 adults conducted Wednesday and Thursday for Canwest News Service and Global National.


VANCOUVER — Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff described his party as "fit to govern" Friday as a poll showed the Grits leading the Conservatives for the first time since the October election in an Ipsos Reid poll.

While the Liberal lead of 36 per cent to 33 could be enough to form government, the poll found Prime Minister Stephen Harper outranking Ignatieff on many counts on the eve of a national Liberal convention vote confirming his four-month-old leadership.

It also found little public hunger for having another federal election.

Canadians prefer Harper to Ignatieff by a wide margin on issues of vision, trust and ability to lead during tough economic times, said the poll of 1,001 adults conducted Wednesday and Thursday for Canwest News Service and Global National.

Pollster John Wright said the Liberals' biggest strength appears to be their brand, while the Conservatives' strength is seen as Harper's leadership.

"Ignatieff is still unknown or is still an enigma," Wright said. "When you compare him with Mr. Harper, Harper's much better defined and much more positive."

Ignatieff emphasized fitness to govern in a speech to his party's youth wing at a national convention in Vancouver, as more than 2,000 Grits prepared for an official evening tribute to the party's previous leader, Stephane Dion.

Ignatieff praised Dion — who led the party to its lowest electoral showing in decades and whom Ignatieff replaced in December — for toughing out "the brutality of politics."

The poll suggested the Liberals have closed what was, as recently as December, a 23-point gap behind the governing Conservatives.

But it also said a majority of respondents, 55 per cent, did not agree the Liberals are ready to govern again.

Nor did 72 per cent of those polled want the official opposition party to defeat the government and trigger an election as soon as possible.

Those who regarded the Liberals as ready to return to power totalled 45 per cent of 1,001 adults polled.

"The rich base now of the Liberals put it in such a place they could probably form the government (because) of the voting tilt in the country," said Wright, senior vice-president of Ipsos Reid.

In Ontario, the Liberals have a 10-point lead over the Conservatives.

And while the Liberals in Quebec trail the Bloc Quebecois 34 per cent to 32 per cent, the Conservatives are far behind, with just 14 per cent of the support of decided voters.

Because Quebec and Ontario have 181 out of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, strong support there can translate into more influence in Parliament.

Ipsos Reid said its poll is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The pollster said the margin of error is greater for regional results.

The poll suggested that 13 per cent of Canadians would vote for the NDP, an improvement of one point since December, while Green party support held steady at eight per cent.

The poll suggested 43 per cent of Canadians believe Harper would make the best prime minister, compared to 33 per cent for Ignatieff and 23 per cent for NDP Leader Jack Layton. Those numbers were unchanged since December.

Meanwhile, 46 per cent said they see Harper as the best manager for tough economic times, up two points since December, compared to 32 per cent for Ignatieff and 17 per cent for Layton, who was down two points.


Paul Martin, former Liberal prime minister and finance minister, on Friday asserted that Ignatieff's Liberals are equipped to take the country out of the recession and blasted Harper for spending the surplus he inherited from the Liberals.

"I think people have got to ask: Did it make sense for the country to go into deficit before a penny was spent on stimulus spending?" he said to reporters.

"I think the country has to ask: Did a government which denied that the world was going into a global recession, is that a government which is capable of taking us out of this kind of a recession?"

The poll suggested six in 10 Canadians believe the nearly three decades Ignatieff spent outside Canada as a journalist and teacher do not make him any less qualified to lead the country.

Four in ten respondents said it was an issue of concern.

Meanwhile Ignatieff told reporters that Dion will be kindly remembered by Liberals for "the enormous achievements" of recruiting more female candidates and focusing on environmental sustainability.

Ignatieff commented a few hours before the party's official evening tribute to Dion, the Montreal MP Ignatieff replaced in December after the Liberals' poor showing in the October election.

"He had a tough time in politics," Ignatieff said. "Sometimes it was brutal, but as someone who's been through some of the brutality of politics, one of the things I admire was his courage, his toughness, his patriotism, his resolve, his devotion to the country."

Ignatieff also made a pitch Friday before the youth wing of the party for a proposal, set for a vote Saturday, to establish a one-member, one-vote system for electing party leaders in the future.
Grits lead Tories, but Harper tops Ignatieff: Poll
 
#6 ·
Said it before but that election ballot really needs a "None of the above" box. Surely Igg, Harpo, & Layiton cannot be the best Canada has to offer.
 
#10 ·
Hell, Canadians don't want ANY of them...

One day perhaps a real leader will emerge in this country, until then, we choose...fragmentarily.
 
#11 ·
Such is the nature of coalition politics... fragile, shifting associations, partial commitments, fractional allegiances. Imperfect choices.

We would need one remarkable leader to draw us away from this multiparty mire we find ourselves in.
 
#12 ·
I think it's going to get worse, much like some European parliaments with 20+ parties. So far in Canada the marginal parties don't get enough votes to elect members, but that may change.
 
#13 ·
I'm in agreement with you that we will likely see more parties and greater political fragmentation along regional lines and demarcations such as rural vs. urban, etc. It's an awfully big country, after all. We're scattered across it. Who can be expected to lead us effectively now? Our population is made up of people who have come from all over the world. There are so many separate streams of thought regarding good governance, and public morality, it's mind-boggling.
 
#14 ·
That' why we need a change to something like the Swiss Canton system and devolve power away from Ottawa who are effectively an expensive white elephant getting way too much of the tax income. :mad:

The provinces have some leaders...with vision -

Sask wants to take the isotope business.

Quebec has some champions and hydro

Danny Williams is a leader as is the BC Premier...

Even McGuinty is stick handling a difficult situation....

Ottawa .....useless tits....getting in the way of all of them......

and I don't see much affecting change short of a tax revolt....:(

Maybe just the 3 big cities without Cons would do it.....no taxation without representation :D
 
#17 ·
Even McGuinty is stick handling a difficult situation....
McGuilty is to stick handling difficult situations as Dave Semenko was to scoring lots of goals for the Oilers in the old days. The only thing McGuilty is good at is lying - and in that he is an expert, though I don't think we should go gung-ho on Cantons just because his administration is such an abomination.
 
#15 ·
But the canton system in Canada essentially means giving the money to the cities and virtually forgetting about the unique challenges of keeping a huge country with a small population together. Not that I believe money isn't being pissed away at every level, you understand...
 
#19 ·
Talk about sad.

Hello all:

I've worked political campaigns for a number of years and I must say, this is the saddest bunch of electees I have ever seen.

Doesn't anyone groom anyone anymore. The Liberals are completely bankrupt when it comes to leadership development....and not just at the Federal level.

I really would like to see that back door on the election terms nailed shut, let a PM run for a full term [ I would like to see 4 years as a fixed term ] despite a minority/ majority/ or any other combination. These games are only costing us hundreds of millions that could be spent elsewhere.

This will be the 5th election in less than eight years by the time it is forced, to much "politicking"!
 
#24 ·
Doesn't anyone groom anyone anymore.
It's all about who can score the Party the most cash - no grooming required.

The Liberals are completely bankrupt when it comes to leadership development....and not just at the Federal level.
Not only leadership, they feature some of the most morally bankrupt personalities possible, and have done so since they shoved King out of office. Not that the Conservatives are much better...

I really would like to see that back door on the election terms nailed shut
We do not have fixed terms - and attempting to do so is a farce until there are systematic and fundamental changes - something that simply will not happen because such changes will not benefit the Parties.

These games are only costing us hundreds of millions that could be spent elsewhere.
Better to fritter a few hundred million on frequent elections than to waste billions on some corrupt white elephant projects of a Majority.
 
#21 ·
The poll suggested 43 per cent of Canadians believe Harper would make the best prime minister, compared to 33 per cent for Ignatieff and 23 per cent for NDP Leader Jack Layton. Those numbers were unchanged since December.

Meanwhile, 46 per cent said they see Harper as the best manager for tough economic times, up two points since December, compared to 32 per cent for Ignatieff and 17 per cent for Layton, who was down two points
So what I read from your bold-faced highlights is that each of the leaders mentioned has the support of less than half the population. I wouldn't exactly call that a ringing endorsement for your man Harper any more than the other candidates. The poll suggests that none of them enjoys widespread support.

Hoisted by your own petards, SINC!
 
#27 ·
Visible. you say? You mean it wasn't

large enough for you?? :)
 
#23 ·
I think the thread is best titled...

SINC DON"T WANT IGGY. AND MAD THAT THE POLLS DISAGREE WID 'IM.
;)

Sorry SINC. But I think in the not so distant future, we'll find out, how many people don't want Iggy. That'll be the real poll...

(cue sabre rattlin' boys... "oh YEA!! Bring it on!!! YEEEEHAWWWW!!!)
 
#29 ·
Got home today to my lovely Mississauga apartment and guess what I found in my mail slot?

I think MacDoc has been moonlighting and dropping off these leaflets...:lmao:

and who the hell is Ben Lobb?
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#38 ·
An interesting ballot, since these four candidates are not from the same riding and therefore could never appear on the same ballot together. And I thought Stephen Harper claimed Canadians didn't want another election. Actions speak louder than words!
 
#30 ·
As I see it:

a. Canadians are absolutely sick to the back teeth of federal elections that don't really change anything. If the leaders in Ottawa are smart, they'll keep things right where they are for at least another year.

b. Ignatieff may or may not be any better than Harper, because he's fairly new at leading a party at all, so it's kinda hard to tell. Being a Canadian politician, he's not likely to be particularly bold, so he'll need a year or two (at least) as Opposition Leader before the average voter is sure he can do the PM job or not.

c. All Harper has to do to stay in power is not screw up. This should be reasonably easy, even as tone-deaf as he can sometimes be.

d. The flyer shown above is pretty offensive in its sheer ridiculousness. It might as well say "Michael Ignatieff wants to kill your children." If the flyer were equally ridiculous regarding Harper, there would be great uproar from his party (and probably a lawsuit for libel). Among people of any intelligence, such personal attacks (questioning his patriotism with the "just visiting" line, etc), exaggerated hyperbole and other such mud-slinging tactics have exactly the OPPOSITE effect than the one intended. I hope Canadians are not as prone to obvious scare-mongering as the "dumb belt" in the middle and southern US ... and I hope that political parties who rely on such tactics (over, say, superior policies that obviously work well) lose support.

Lastly, the point was made earlier that none of the leaders have majority support. This, I think, is the biggest problem.
 
#31 ·
Among people of any intelligence, such personal attacks (questioning his patriotism with the "just visiting" line, etc), exaggerated hyperbole and other such mud-slinging tactics have exactly the OPPOSITE effect than the one intended.
Actually the line is very appropriate given his absence from Canada for decades. And I might add it won't have the opposite effect at all. Some days the truth hurts, especially when his motives for returning are either in question, or solely to attempt to grab the PM's chair. ;)
 
#33 ·
I agree with SINC re Iggy's motives. As much as I don't care for Harper, I care even less for Ignatieff, far less for Layton and May just isn't even on my radar screen. Sad, sad state of affairs for Canada.
 
#44 ·
The Liberal Party is filled with such motives, and they have been carrying them around for years. It only got bad when Martin mounted his successful coup d'etat, and shoved Chretien out of power. He flopped because he started shoving all of his enemies out of the party, and rigged everything so his candidates were installed, rather than the candidates that were the choice of the electors. Then he gave up because of the results of the election he did not loose, handing it over to Harper because of one big temper tantrum. Then the bad picks continues, with the selection of Dion who not only wasn't a true Canadian citizen, but he basically refused to give up his alien citizenship, and then tried to consolidate his power over the Party through his Economic Salvation deal with Layton.

Now they have Ignatieff, who at least has the support of the Caucus (unlike Martin and Dion who didn't), but just seems to operate with some other agenda in mind. Plus, I think the real boogeyman is having Bob Rae around, because if the Liberals "get in", everyone knows what kind of dillholing will be administered by this spank monkey.

Layton is good at glad handling, but when it comes down to it, his platform is a myriad of anti-worker policies that simply will not score votes. May would have done better not to have shoved the proper leader of the Green Party, Jim Harris, out - at least without even having her own seat in Government, or some hard core Green policy that people could identify with.

It's sad for Canada because we simply do not have a system that can put into power those that could use the power for the greater good, someone with a vision and a can do attitude. Maybe they should dig up Sir. John A. and send some of that DNA to Korea, and have that Korean doctor come up with a clone that we could then elect, and get on with the business of building a country, rather than this endless looting that goes on these days...
 
#36 ·
Really now, I wonder who the suckers are --those that believe Ignatieff is the saviour or those who think he's an egotistical opportunist.
 
#41 ·
It seems to me the sensible solution for those that can not stand the constant threat of an election is for the parties in the House of Commons to find common ground for support of a stable government.

At present Harper and Ignatieff read Conservative Party and Liberal Party are too power hungry to work with others and are constantly positioning themselves to have the hammer and smack down all other views and positions. It just an other round of IN’s and Out’s.

The voters of Canada repeatedly have stated election after election they don’t want anyone to have the hammer to bang down on anybody. It is time for all the representatives to represent, do the correct thing and govern for us all. Not just the power elite.

Even if it is in the form of the much dreaded dare I say it, Coalition Government.

Now release the mad dog partisans. Let the games begin. :D
 
#49 ·
I don't care about what you are saying because you have diverged from my point. The hilarity ensues when ehmax presents a factually accurate deduction from information presented by sinc. Sinc then proceeds to exclaim " yeah right" even though it is logically inaccurate based on the information he provides in addition to the reality of our voting system. I think it's hilarious and takes away from any point he tried to make, since he fails to recognize his own data. I'm sorry you needed the explanation.
 
#58 ·
Harper seems to have such an overwhelming vote of confidence at the ballot box himself hasn't he.

Liberals had the worst showing at the polls in history, he still failed at having enough Canadians show enough confidence in a majority.

So now sour grapes fighting in a thread about a few points in some poll.
 
#59 ·
The only way Harper could get a majority would be to clean house at the top of his communications team and for there to be a change in the Party leadership.

They had a majority in the bag going into the last election and then blew it in Quebec with ill fated and thought out communications regarding the arts and young offenders. Once they did that the wheels fell off the wagon in Quebec.

Pandering to the converted in the west lost them the east. A further example of how partisan blinders and failing to appeal to the centre will lead to political suicide every time (at least in this country).

Politically, the best thing that could happen for the long term prospects of the Conservatives would be for Harper to lose the next election, which will lead to his resignation and hopefully a shake up in the Party leadership, specifically the departure of Doug Finley along with his cronies and lapdogs.
 
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