Canadians remain polarized on giving Prime Minister Stephen Harper a majority government, according to a new poll, despite the Conservative leader's calls for a strong Tory mandate to help the country avoid another early election.
About 43 per cent of surveyed Canadians said they were "comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" with a Harper majority, the April 16 Nanos poll for 麻豆影视 and the Globe and Mail said.
A nearly equal amount of Canadians -- 46 per cent -- said they were "uncomfortable" or "somewhat uncomfortable" with a Harper majority. But with the election only a few weeks away, about 11 per cent of Canadians say they are still unsure.
National polling numbers show the Conservatives facing the prospect of a third straight minority government unless something changes in the next two weeks.
During the English-language debate earlier this month, Harper said he hoped Canadians wanted a majority government.
"I think this cycle of election after election, minority after minority, is beginning to put some of the country's interests in serious jeopardy," he said.
According to the poll, support for a Harper majority was highest in the Prairies at 63 per cent either "comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable."
Conservative majority support was lowest in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, with total comfort levels in each at about 31 per cent.
About 45 per cent of Ontarians and 35 per cent of British Columbians were "comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" with a Harper majority.
Compared to a February 14 poll on the same question, there has been some swing in the numbers of Canadians who were "somewhat comfortable" into the "comfortable" camp in the April poll: (February numbers in brackets)
- Comfortable: 31.4 per cent (26.3)
- Somewhat comfortable: 11.9 per cent (21.7)
- Somewhat uncomfortable: 14.6 per cent (17.6)
- Uncomfortable: 31.2 per cent (30.3)
- Unsure: 10.9 per cent (4.1)
Compared to a 2007 Nanos poll on the same question, Conservative majority support under Harper is down 10 per cent in the April 16 poll.
Methodology: The Nanos national random telephone surveyed 1,200 Canadians 18 years of age and older. It was completed between April 14 and 16, 2011. The margin of error for a random sample of 1,200 respondents is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
