OTTAWA - A new poll suggests the Liberal party has bounced back into contention now that Michael Ignatieff is at the helm.
The Nanos Research survey, provided exclusively to The Canadian Press, suggests the Liberals have moved into a virtual tie with the governing Tories.
Liberal support stood at 34 per cent, one point ahead of the Conservatives and up eight points from the Liberals' dismal showing in the Oct. 14 election under the leadership of Stephane Dion.
The poll suggests the Liberal resurgence was particularly pronounced in Quebec, where the party vaulted into the lead with 39 per cent support to 29 per cent for the Bloc Quebecois, 17 per cent for the Tories and 14 per cent for the NDP.
The telephone poll of 1,003 Canadians was conducted Jan. 3-7 and is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points 19 times in 20.
A voter honeymoon with Ignatieff, who was hastily installed as leader last month, appeared to be the driving force behind the Liberal bounce.
Thirty-four per cent of respondents said they had a more favourable impression of the party since the change in leadership.
Moreover, 23 per cent said Ignatieff would make the best prime minister -- double the score previously won by Dion, although still 12 points behind Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
