HALIFAX - Prime Minister Stephen Harper could pay a price with voters over a dispute with Newfoundland and Nova Scotia over the Atlantic Accord.
A Corporate Research Associates Inc. poll suggests that Harper's popularity has fallen in the two provinces in the last three months.
Only 17 per cent of respondents in Newfoundland and Labrador said last month that they were satsified, or mostly satisfied, with the performance of the federal government _ down from 47 per cent in February.
Conversely, 78 per cent said they were completely or mostly dissatisfied with Harper's government.
In Nova Scotia, satisfaction with Ottawa declined from 50 per cent in February to 37 per cent in May, while dissatisfaction rose from 41 per cent to 56 per cent.
Don Mills, Corporate Research president, said Thursday that the ongoing dispute overl equalization to the two provinces has had a significant impact on the public's satisfaction with the federal government.
"Danny Williams has made good on his promise to hurt the cause of federal Conservatives in his province, at least in the short term,'' he said.
Harper's personal popularity has also declined dramatically in Newfoundland and Labrador, but only slightly in Nova Scotia, the poll suggests.
Thirteen per cent of respondents in Newfoundland and Labrador said they preferred Harper as prime minister _ down from 40 per cent three months ago.
In Nova Scotia, 26 per cent said they backed Harper, down slightly from 30 per cent in February.
The 2005 Atlantic Accord let both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador keep all their offshore oil and gas revenues, with no clawbacks from the federal equalization program.
This year's federal budget, though, increased the equalization pot, but put a cap on payments. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland must give up the Atlantic Accord if they want a share of the extra money.
The poll was conducted from May 9 to May 31. About 400 people were surveyed in each province and the results are considered accurate to within 4.9 percentage points 95 times out of 100.
