Poll: Conservative Party Support Slipping

A new Ipsos Reid poll taken last week shows that support for the federal Conservatives has dropped 4% since May.

Conservatives: 39% (-4)
Liberals: 27% (+2)
NDP: 17% (+2)
Bloc (in Quebec): 41% (+3)

Via CanWest:

OTTAWA -- Support for Stephen Harper's Conservative government has dipped especially in the critical battlegrounds of Quebec, B.C. and Atlantic Canada likely pushed by discomfort with the prime minister's policies in Afghanistan and the Middle East, a new poll suggests.

Pollster John Wright says the new data, including an approval rating of 60 per cent for Harper, suggests the party is still in good shape. The Conservatives, which won 36 per cent of the vote in the federal election in January, would, however, likely still be stuck in minority-government territory if an election were held now, he said.
[...]
Wright, vice-president of Ipsos Reid, says the numbers suggest foreign policy has put a dent in Harper's popularity. His government's support dipped most in the three areas of the country Quebec, Atlantic Canada and B.C. which recent polls have shown are most uncomfortable with his Mideast and Afghanistan policies, Wright said.

The drop was 12 points each in B.C. and Atlantic Canada, and six points in Quebec.

Support for the mission in Afghanistan has also dropped 10 points since March, according to Ipsos Reid.

"Foreign policy is now defining this government," Wright said, adding it has taken the focus away from the government's search for its next five priorities now that it has enjoyed some success on its first five.

"Now they know what the next five priorities are," Wright said. "They are called the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Middle East andE[sic]"

So, Steve now finds himself in the same political position as Bush and Blair since foreign policy decisions may now override domestic issues in the minds of many voters. It will be interesting to see the results of the next poll that takes into account the situation in the Middle East following the news of the massacre in Qana which Harper didn't even comment on immediately - as is expected by world leaders in such situations.

Note: Harper's cabinet has not even met to discuss the Middle East situation.

Sources confirmed that there have not been any full Cabinet meetings since the Middle East crisis erupted on July 12, but one source told The Hill Times that more than 12 ministers representing Canada's different regions had taken their concerns to the PMO after consultations with interested groups and constituents.

"A significant number of ministers I know have been engaged and in consultation with the Prime Minister and Peter MacKay on the issues. Part of it is, I think, political. I think they're trying to ensure that their assessment of how this is playing out in the country and amongst their own supporters is accurate and keeps them safe," the source told The Hill Times.

(hat tip to commenter knb for the link)