Poilievre on top in Canada, Eby in the lead in BC: new polls

The Tories remain vastly more popular than the Liberals across Canada while the BC NDP is holding off challenges from the right, two new polls released this week suggest.

According to Nanos, the Conservatives have a 20-point national lead (43.2 per cent to 22.8) over the Grits.

The federal NDP is lingering in third with 15.9 per cent, while the Quebec separatists are polling at 10.3 per cent.

The pollster has Pierre Poilievre at 38 per cent among voters when it comes to their preference for prime minister.

Trudeau is at 21.2 per cent, while “unsure” is at 16.8 per cent. Jagmeet Singh is down at 11.4 per cent.

The Nanos poll found that inflation is the number-one concern among Canadians, followed by health care, jobs and housing.

In BC, meanwhile, Abacus Data’s poll suggests Premier David Eby is on track to keep power in this year’s provincial election.

The pollster puts the BC NDP at 40 per cent, while the BC Conservatives are at 34 per cent and BC United at 13 per cent.

The Greens are on 10 per cent, according to Abacus.

Its poll also suggests that every region in BC will back the NDP ahead of other parties, though by only two points in the Interior and North.

Abacus also thinks there will be an interesting age divide in the election, which must be held on or before Oct. 19, with younger people leaning more towards the BC Conservatives and older voters backing the NDP.

“British Columbians are generally more optimistic about the direction of their province than Canadians in other provinces,” Abacus said in its commentary on the poll.

“In our survey, 31 per cent of British Columbians feel the province is headed in the right direction which is six points higher than how Canadians feel about their own country.

“When asked about economic conditions in the province, 16 per cent describe the economy as excellent or good, 33 per cent describe it as acceptable, while 51 per cent describe it as poor or terrible. There is a strong correlation between perceptions about the economy and vote intention. NDP supporters are far more likely to feel positive about the economy than those supporting the Conservative Party.”

The survey also shows that BC United, formerly the BC Liberals, continue to struggle in polls.

Speaking to NowMedia recently, Renee Merrifield, the party’s shadow environment minister, said she remains confident about BC United’s chances.

BC Conservatives Leader John Rustad, meanwhile, told NowMedia his party is “on the verge of overtaking the NDP” and forming a government in the province.

Indeed, two recent polls have shown the BC Conservatives ahead of the BC NDP.

But this latest survey from Abacus appears to show that the intentions of BC voters are proving difficult to decipher ahead of the provincial election.

See the Abacus poll here.

See the Nanos poll here.