Liberal Support Declines

Can it be that the sponsorship scandal is finally having an impact on Canadians' attitudes towards the Liberals? Be still my beating heart. From my morning Globe & Mail:

Ottawa - The federal Conservatives have edged back in front of the Liberals in a startling new poll that finds Canadians questioning Paul Martin's honesty and ready to make the sponsorship scandal the foremost election issue.

The poll, conducted for The Globe and Mail and CTV, finds that 31 per cent of voters would opt for the Conservatives if an election were held today, while 27 per cent would back the Liberals. The Tories are up three percentage points from late April; the Liberals are down three.

But perhaps the most stunning finding shows that 61 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe the prime minister is the federal political leader most likely to tell a lie if it would help him politically. Only 26 per cent believe that of Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

The poll also found that the sponsorship scandal dominates voters' thinking, with 23 per cent saying it is the most important issue in the next election, outstripping even health care by three points.

This is not good news for Mr. Martin. Even in seat rich Ontario the Liberals support is dropping. Grits now have 34% of the voters while the Tories have 35%. It is good news for "Prime Minister" Jack Layton whose NDP has risen three percentage points to 20%.

It is better news for Stephen Harper, of course .... and for Canadian democracy.