You really have to wonder what polls Michael Ignatieff is reading these days with his recent assertion that Canadians are ready for an election and his Liberal party is prepared for one.
Really. According to the latest Ipsos Reid survey, 60 per cent of voters believe the political process is working fine and there is no pressing need for an election.
Most recent polls also have the Conservatives pulling significantly ahead of the Liberals ahead in popularity. A number of polls over the past few years consistently show Canadian’s preference for Stephen Harper over Ignatieff on the leadership issue.
These are not the ’30s and ’40s when Liberals formed governments in five or six of Canada’s 10 provinces and Liberals dominated federal politics.
For the past three federal elections, the middle-class electors have been turning to the Conservatives.
The Conservatives are able to consistently and significantly outperform the Liberals in fund raising and the warnings of outgoing Liberal treasurer Michael Yabsley about the party’s financial woes and the tepid poll numbers for the Liberals should be enough to cause Mr Ignatieff to be careful what he wishes for in the new year.
Gerald Hall
Parksville
