BURSTThe B.C. Conservatives are starting to pull ahead in the race to become the next governing party of the province, the latest polling suggests.
The Angus Reid Institute released a poll Monday indicating 48 per cent support for the Conservatives, up five percentage points. The poll had the B.C. NDP trailing the Conservatives by five points, with 43 per cent support.
The NDP did gain seven points compared to the last Angus Reid poll, but it was the B.C. Greens and other marginal parties losing ground while Conservative support went up. The latest Angus Reid poll had the Greens at seven per cent support and other parties just two per cent.
The Angus Reid poll surveyed 1,000 B.C. residents online from Oct. 1 to 3 and had a margin of error of three percentage points, meaning Conservative support could be anywhere from 45 to 51 per cent, and NDP support anywhere from 40 to 46 per cent.
Another recent poll suggests an even wider margin for the Conservatives over the NDP. Mainstreet Research conducted a telephone poll of 827 residents with a 3.4 per cent margin of error from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1. This poll indicates an eight point lead for the Conservatives over the NDP, with the Conservatives holding 45 per cent support.
NDP leader David Eby has said he called the snap election in order to seek a stronger mandate to fight U.S. tariffs. He had two years left on his mandate at the time.
Ten per cent of respondents to the Angus Reid poll said U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs are a top issue in this election, down from 15 per cent. The tariff issue appears to be sliding in importance. Far more respondents cited cost of living (57 per cent) and healthcare (42 per cent) as the issues most important to them. Drug addiction and homelessness also saw slight increases in the number of residents naming them as key issues.
Nearly half of residents (46 per cent) strongly disapprove of Eby’s snap election call, according to the Mainstreet poll.
The Conservatives’ support is most pronounced in the Fraser Valley (62 per cent compared to 28 per cent for the NDP), while support between the two leading parties flips on the Island and North Coast (48 per cent for NDP, 39 percent for Conservatives), according to the Angus Reid poll. In the Interior, the Conservatives hold 57 percent support — 21 points above the NDP.
Voting Day in the B.C. provincial election is Oct. 24.