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Harper widens leadership advantage over Ignatieff: Nanos Poll (Completed September 11th)
A new poll completed by Nanos Research indicates that Stephen Harper has widened his leadership index score advantage over Michael Ignatieff. Harper leads in all regions except Quebec where Ignatieff fares better than Harper on the Leadership Index.
I’m also pleased to announce the Nanos Report - a new, weekly, public affairs show on CPAC. The 30 minute program will air every Sunday at 10:30 am and 7:30 pm (all times Eastern) and will touch on politics and business issues.
Methodology
Nanos conducted a random telephone survey of 1,002 Canadians, 18 years of age and older, between September 3rd and September 11th. A survey of 1,002 Canadians is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.
LEADERSHIP INDEX QUESTION: As you may know, [Rotate] Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the federal Liberal Party, Stephen Harper is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Jack Layton is the leader of the federal NDP, Gilles Duceppe is leader of the Bloc Quebecois and Elizabeth May is leader of the federal Green Party. Which of the federal leaders would you best describe as:
The most trustworthy leader
National (n=1,002)
- Stephen Harper: 31%
- Michael Ignatieff: 14%
- Jack Layton: 14%
- Gilles Duceppe: 8%
- Elizabeth May: 8%
- None of them/Undecided: 25%
The most competent leader
National (n=1,002)
- Stephen Harper: 36%
- Michael Ignatieff: 20%
- Jack Layton: 11%
- Gilles Duceppe: 7%
- Elizabeth May: 2%
- None of them/Undecided: 24%
The leader with the best vision for Canada’s future
National (n=1,002)
- Stephen Harper: 32%
- Michael Ignatieff: 20%
- Jack Layton: 15%
- Gilles Duceppe: 4%
- Elizabeth May: 4%
- None of them/Undecided: 25%
Leadership Index Score
- Stephen Harper: 99
- Michael Ignatieff: 54
- Jack Layton: 40
- Gilles Duceppe: 19
- Elizabeth May: 14
What do you think?
Cheers, NJN
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Most Read Comments
Highest Rated Comments
Like it or not people, I believe Craig Oliver (CTV) hit the nail right on right ... more
Crown & Anchor (Nova Scotia) 15 Sep 09:58
That's great . Maybe Canadians are waking up to the reality that Harper is head ... more
Enlightened one (Alberta) 14 Sep 21:53
I am shocked at these numbers. Stephen Harper does nothing but lie out of both ... more
Curtis (Ontario) 14 Sep 22:57
Truth you can believe in .... more
attila (suspended) (Alberta) 16 Sep 18:30
The Nanos Report. Congratulations! Just caught the premiere episode of TNR -- ... more
RonaldODowd (Ontario) 20 Sep 20:31
Curtis... careful buddy or we can start talking about Trudeau and Chretien as hi... more
hollinm (Saskatchewan) 16 Sep 10:01
Comments
Enlightened one
That's great . Maybe Canadians are waking up to the reality that Harper is head and shoulders over the other leaders in regards to leadership any day of the week!!!!
[updated Mon Sep 14 21:53:05 -0400 2009]
14 Sep 21:53
26 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Reform Voter
I have no faith in the Liberals and M.I. period, I think it will a Conservative majority, depends what they decide to with these Public Servants in Transport Canada, my suggestion they should get 20 years with parole, Pensions canceled, and spend money on a Federal Prison for these types in the middle of Baffin Island. Or maybe further north, and I forgot, make it illegal to have unions in the Federal government.
[updated Mon Sep 14 22:51:17 -0400 2009]
14 Sep 22:51
2 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Curtis
I am shocked at these numbers. Stephen Harper does nothing but lie out of both sides of his mouth and he is the greatest hypocrite to ever hold the office of PM. He has no vision for the country, he has turned surpluses into deficit (before the stimulus budget) and he has turned the federal Parliament into the most disfunctional electoral body in the Western world, yet people still think he is doing a good job. How???
[updated Mon Sep 14 22:57:53 -0400 2009]
14 Sep 22:57
100 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
hollinm
Its an outlier! The Liberals will be screaming bloody murder Nik that you don't know what you are talking about.
This coupled with the Ipsos poll which I agree will need to be confirmed by more polls should be scaring the hell out of all the opposition parties.
Maybe the Czarist leader of the Liberal party will get it through his arrogant narcissistic head that Canadians do not want an election.
I know all the Lib sycophants i.e. elf, scotian, bernie, parnel will be out in full force. Hang on to your hat Nik you are going to be castigated unmercifully.
[updated Tue Sep 15 00:30:39 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 00:30
3 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
HC in AB
The Latest Ipsos Reid Poll falls in line with these leadership numbers. It has the CPC at 39, the LPC at 30 and the NDP at 12. If the NDP internal numbers are also reflecting this, it is a good bet that they will avoid an election. It would put them back to around 10 to 15 seats and they will be back to where they were in the Audrey/Alexa years.
It would also indicate that Mr. Layton is getting past his "best before" date. Expect and NDP leadership change in the next year or so.
It would also appear to support my theory that the soft NDP vote is moving to the LPC to "Stop Harper" and that the soft LPC centre/centre right vote is moving to the CPC to "Stop a Coalition".
[updated Tue Sep 15 06:59:30 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 06:59
19 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
HC in AB
I would suspect that Mr. Ignatieff is not looking back with great fondness on the day the the boys from Rosemount walked into his office a Harvard and said "We are from the Natural Governing Party of Canada and if you come home, we will make you Prime Minister of Canada" and he said "OK, that sounds like a nice way to finish my career".
[updated Tue Sep 15 08:53:46 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 08:53
2 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Like it or not people, I believe Craig Oliver (CTV) hit the nail right on right on the head; "Canadian affection for PM Harper is like a privates affection for a Drill Sergeant, there isn't much love, but there is respect".
[updated Tue Sep 15 09:58:07 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 09:58
31 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Diagnostician
The following points need to be considered when ranking Stephen Harper: He has defeated and survived Paul Martin and Stephane Dion. He is an experienced leader of a major political party, which resonates with a large segment of Canada's population, and which does little or no harm to the remainder of the population. He is a dull leader who can surprise with brilliant manouvres (Manley on Afghanistan, Doer to Washington). Those who label the 2008 election as unnecessary are flat out wrong, as before that election Harper needed the support of two other parties to survive, and now he needs only the support of one other party to survive, a major difference. Also consider how he has outwitted Ignatieff, who demanded changes on four fronts in June in exchange for Liberal support, and got a committee on E.I. as a result. That committee on purpose was allowed to fail, so the Liberals would not get credit for any changes, instead, the changes were tailored to play to the NDP's base, and will generate NDP support for the Conservatives.
These are all signs of a clever leader providing peace, order and good government, and should an election occur in the next few months, Harper will get a majority from anglophone Canada, which will lead to the demise of the Bloc, a result that will be positive for a strong, united Canada.
[updated Tue Sep 15 10:24:09 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 10:24
77 replies so far. Join this conversationHide this conversation.
Strength in numbers . Not bloody likely .
Fact is Harpo could not defeat the weakest leader the Liberals have had is one hundred years ,Dion .
Incumbents always poll higher than opposition leaders .
Harpo is despised in Quebec and most of Ontario .
Nine hundred thousand Liberals sat out the last election they were so disenchanted with Dion .
So gloat all you want con-clowns .
Harpo is all done .
[updated Tue Sep 15 12:12:07 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 12:12
HC in AB
Fact is, Mr. Harper did defeat Mr. Dion, 143 seats to 77 seats, 37% of the vote to 27%. Some polls now have the CPC 10 points ahead of the LPC (now under Mr. Ignatieff). It is beginning to appear that it might be Mr. Ignatieff who is "all done".
We would sooner hear what you expect the LPC to do to turn things around in the face of this data, or provide some substantial evidence that the data is incorrect.
[updated Tue Sep 15 12:52:36 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 12:52
Lex Llewdor
That low voter turnout for the Liberals demonstrates the effectiveness of the Conservative attack ads.
Attack ads drive down voter turnout. That's what they're for. That's what they do. The Conservatives appear to be very good at it.
[updated Tue Sep 15 14:10:23 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 14:10
elf
Lex - you're right there - that is exactly what they are designed to do and that in itself is a disgraceful manipulation of the democratic process and we Canadians also have to take the blame here for allowing this to happen - somebody famous once said we get the government we deserve ?
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:09:49 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:09
hollinm
elf....and we do have the government we deserve. Sorry elf. The Libs are not going to win the next election.
If your leader continues with his effete academic press conferences while twitching his eyebrows he will be lucky to keep all of the seats he has. My wife says he has the creep factor. She know of what she speaks.
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:51:05 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:51
elf
hollinm - I also said I would not reply to you but you have now brought your wife into the picture and so I must - as an inteliigent woman who has travelled and who didn't fall to earth yesterday I also recognise a creep when I see one. Harper is a chauvanistic regressive man who shakes his son'e hand rather than give him a hug - a man who has a cabinet mostly full of white men - he keeps intelligent women at bay because he fears them ( Diane Ablonsky).
He shows how regressive he is by his ridiculous $100 a month child care allowance - he clearly is a man who believes women should be at home raising their children because heaven forbid daycare fills their heads with a more liberal up to date perspective on life.
I would like you or any of your CON buddies here to give me one virtue that Harper has - can you ? no - there is not one redeeming feature about the man - all you keep saying is Harper's great - Harper's strong - Harper doesn't put up with any nonsense - Harper is clever - those are actually not virtues at all - Liberal leaders have been sincere in their love of Canada - they never made fun of someone's appearance ( remember the infamous Chretien ads about his facial features?) making comments about Iggy's eyebrows is hardly an intelligent way to have a political discussion - Iggy is polite and respectful - you Cons are all the same - don't wave your wife's opinions at me - I also know when I'm talking to a creep so I will not be responding again.
[updated Tue Sep 15 19:42:53 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 19:42
HC in AB
So he doesn't hug his son... how many 11 year olds do you know that want to be hugged on national television. Personally, I know many women who would prefer to be at home with their kids, and that's OK. That's the way my kids were raised most of the time, and guess where there friends wanted to hang out after school.... Our house.
[updated Tue Sep 15 21:58:34 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 21:58
Wildrose
He shook his hand, nobody shakes their kids hand, it was pathetic and telling.
[updated Tue Sep 15 22:00:21 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 22:00
Lex Llewdor
I shake my daughter's hand. She likes it. She's one.
What's wrong with shaking hands? It's a normal behaviour and kids need to learn how to do it well (a bad handshake can kill a job interview).
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:01:41 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:01
elf
Lex -- shaking hands is polite when you meet someone or are introduced to someone new - that's obvious - however on the first day at a new school most parents would give their child a hug to reassure them that it will all be okay - it shows affection -
hmmm I wonder - maybe that's why this CON government is so mean spirited - maybe they didn't get enough hugs when they were little - ??
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:24:22 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:24
Lex Llewdor
How many teenaged boys do you know who want to get a hug from their parents where their friends can see it?
And since these kids' hugs are televised, their friends can always see it.
[updated Sun Sep 20 18:17:50 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 18:17
elf
Lex, you obviously have forgotten - Harper's son was not a teenager when he got the hand shake - you CONs distort eerything -
[updated Mon Sep 21 09:57:16 -0400 2009]
21 Sep 09:57
HC in AB
What you really need to learn is a little respect for people with a different view of the world than yours... your life will be much richer for it.
[updated Tue Sep 15 21:59:53 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 21:59
elf, haven't you figured out by now that, to a Harper cheerleader, nothing he does is wrong, everything is justifiable and winning at any cost is the name of the game, no matter who you smear, how you smear or why you smear. In fact that's what Harper has brought us, fear and smearmongering instead of governing.
[updated Wed Sep 16 00:52:43 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 00:52
hollinm
Seeker....the pot calling the kettle black. I think so. That all Liberals traffic in is smears and lies.
[updated Wed Sep 16 10:51:15 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 10:51
FromAlberta (Suspended)
Lame, everyone knows Harper only has smears. Its all he ever does. He is vaccuous if you take that away from him.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:31:37 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:31
elf
seeker, yes you are right, I should realize that there's no sense appealing to the CONs better nature - I still think many Canadians are simply being misled into thinking that the only way to have good government is to have a strong ( read subborn unfeeling and harsh) leader - I guess I am just naive
[updated Wed Sep 16 11:05:18 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 11:05
hollinm
elf....so you are a woman. Very interesting. Thanks for letting me know I will adjust my comments to reflect my respect for woman even Liberal ones.
If that's all you can find to show he is regressive etc. is because he shook his son's hand then you are truly grasping at straws. Obviously you don't have boys. I had two of them and if I had hugged them in public I would not have been too popular. Its a boy thing..
Harper has to choose from the crop of MPs who are elected and pick who he considers to be the best from that crop. The Conservatives have one of the most racially diverse caucuses among the parties. I do not know Diane Ablonzy personally and only know her reputation. However, without intimate knowledge of the woman I leave it up to Harper like any PM to decide who he wants in his cabinet. He wants the best and he makes that judgement. To use it as a sledge hammer is disingenous.
If provinces want daycare then tax their own citizens and implement it. It is provincial jurisdiction. However, any time a government tries to run a program like this they screw it up. There is a reason the Libs did not introduce it for 15 years. It is too expensive and it would not help get real access to those that need it.
Do I think Harper is perfect or has made some mistakes. No and absolutely. However, I am not going to get on a board where there are some outrageous allegations, smears and innuendos and pile on. I belong to the party and take my concerns to my local MP who I know personally.
I have met Harper several times and while meeting someone at these types of functions does not tell you who he is my sense is he is a family man who loves his wife and kids, cares deeply about the country, cares about the working stiff and is trying to do his best for the country while governing under some pretty demanding circumstances. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth like most leaders of the Liberal party including the current leader of the official opposition who was educated at Upper Canada college etc. etc.
I am the one who has criticized Iggy's appearance. Lets not blame Harper for that or anyone else. I am giving you my feelings. You can accept or disagree with them but I am entitled to my opinion. Look at the smears you have just laid on the PM in your comments. Hypocrisy. I think so
[updated Wed Sep 16 10:44:08 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 10:44
elf
hollinm - your reference to the fact that I am female and that you will respond accordingly simply illustrates your chauvanistic and regressive mind set - don't patronize me
[updated Wed Sep 16 11:07:44 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 11:07
hollinm
elf.....sorry if that's the way it came across. I was being sincere and not trying to be chavanistic.
As well as being slanted in you political thinking you are far too sensitive.
[updated Wed Sep 16 17:09:15 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 17:09
Lex Llewdor
How does the child care allowance discourage day care? If anything it encourages day care by making it easier to afford.
[updated Thu Sep 17 16:59:50 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 16:59
elf
Lex - your comment indicates you are likely a person who either doesn't need day care, has plenty of cash to afford it or lives near a large family who can share the care of the children -
Canada is far behind other progressive nations by not having a universal day care programme - most intelligent people recognise the value of early child care given by those who are properly trained. These days we know the value of quality, structured child care - good child care teaches children important socialization skills, tolerance and sharing - it encourages a good start to learning and prepares them for school. Children often have more difficulty adapting to scholl situations when they do not have the benefit of appropriate day care. In addition, not having this progamme keeps single parents dependant on government money / welfare or assistance - it prevents many people fron taking part time jobs and penalizes those who do not have family near by - is just another regressive policy of a regressive government.
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:36:44 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:36
HC in AB
Balderdash, my children were brought up at home by their parents. The are well adjusted, well socialized, have their own values (they seldom agree with me politically), are both attending university and carrying 3.8 plus grade point averages. They had "quality structured child care" - at home. They had no problem "adjusting to scholl situations".
The biggest issue that I have is not so much with day care for those who need it, but with people of your view who discount the contribution to the next generation of those who care for their own children. You treat it as if it has no value, or slows and impedes the development of children. A day of parental care of children is at least as valuable in both monetary and child development terms as is "nanny state" child rearing.
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:50:30 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:50
elf
HC in AB - you are quite mistaken - I also raised my children but like you it seems quite some years ago - mine are fine too - isn't that good ? But - the world is a very different place these days and parents need choice - early day care provides that choice and support for those who do not have the luxury of being able to stay at home - why would anybody refuse them that ?
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:56:10 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:56
HC in AB
It may provide choice and support for those who are not able stay at home or are not willing to make the necessary sacrifices (living on a single income wasn't always easy, but we did it) but children have not changed, they will still do just fine if their parents choose to raise them instead of turning them over to the nanny state.
[updated Thu Sep 17 18:15:04 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 18:15
elf
HC - again you're missing the point - nobody said raising your own children wasn't good enough - if one is a caring parent it's the best !!! And it isn't about sacrifice - we all want our children to be stimulated by taking part in a sport or activity, having good boots in the winter and good healthy lunches etc., these things are expensive and in rural areas people often have to drive them to sports or whatever o a car is a necessity - it's no longer reality to say " well we did - what's wrong with young people these days ? " . It's important not to judge all situations by one's own - through no fault of their own many people are single income earners, women earn less than men - there are a million reasons for quality day care. Sure you may be lucky to find someone good or have family support but some day care providers just stick the children in front of the TV and then get on with housework etc., with little stimulation for their minds - I still don't understand - from your posts you seem like an intelligent thoughful person - why you would be so opposed to that choice ?
[updated Thu Sep 17 19:00:19 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 19:00
HC in AB
Sorry, you completely missed my point, what I said is that universal day-care advocates dismiss and denigrate the quality and value of stay-at-home parents.
Let me put it this way, if a universal day-care program were to provide a $100 per week subsidy to day-care, then the same renumeration should be made available to parents who choose to stay at home with their children.
The care provided to children in their own home is at least (and in my opinion more) as valuable to society as care provided outside the home so stay-at-home parents should be paid the same $100 per week subsidy. The $100 per month provided in the current program recognized that care provided by stay at home parents has the same value to society as care provided outside the home.
In any case, if you are waiting for the LPC to do something in this feild, I wouldn't hold my breath. They have been beating this drum for about 15 years and not done a thing
[updated Fri Sep 18 05:05:40 -0400 2009]
18 Sep 05:05
Lex Llewdor
Exactly correct. If there's a universal daycare program which I, as a parent, don't use, I want to receive the same benefits that parents who do use it receive. Otherwise it's not fair. Otherwise it's no longer a choice parents can make.
Universal child care is either well-intentioned but horribly naive, or it's an insidious plan to communize child-rearing.
[updated Sun Sep 20 18:16:41 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 18:16
Lex Llewdor
Staying at home isn't a luxury. It's a choice. I struggle to make ends meet, but I do it because I think it's best for my little girl. Could I send her to daycare? Sure I could, if her mother went back to work, but we'd hardly be further ahead financially and we'd miss out on a lot of her development.
[updated Sun Sep 20 18:14:22 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 18:14
Lex Llewdor
HC is absolutely correct. I have a young child. She's almost a year and a half old.
She does not go to daycare, because her parents have chosen not to send her to daycare. Rather than spend money on daycare, we're choosing to forego one income to raise her ourselves.
That's choice. That's what you claim you want.
Howerver, a universal daycare program encourages parents to send their kids to daycare by penalising those who don't.
[updated Sun Sep 20 18:12:50 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 18:12
elf
Lex - nonsense !! that is not only ridiculous but short sighted - some parents have no choice- - do you want people to take welfare or work to give their children more opportunity - don't you want children to have a good example - ? a parent who works hard to help provide for their children ? Do you want single parents to sit on their behinds and not work ? It isn't about whether you'd prefer to stay home and raise your children - what you appear to be saying is that a single parent who sends their child to day care does it becasue they are too lazy to raise them ? that is not only nonsense but then, I'm afraid that kind of jugemental thinking it is rather typical of the Harper conservatives and that's why they will never get a majority.
[updated Mon Sep 21 09:51:47 -0400 2009]
21 Sep 09:51
Lex Llewdor
How is that disgraceful or a manipulation of the democratic process? People who care enough to go vote go vote, and the party who garners enough of those voters relative to their opponents wins.
The Conservatives seeking to increase their support relative to their opponents' is the democratic process at work.
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:59:32 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:59
HC in AB
And your heros are the past masters of the attack ads. How do you think the CPC learned how well they can work.
[updated Tue Sep 15 22:01:37 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 22:01
Wildrose
Harper learned from Dick Cheney. And Cheney learned from Mein Kampf.
[updated Tue Sep 15 22:03:58 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 22:03
Diagnostician
Wrong, Harper learned from Kinsella , Smith & Co. Liberal election campaign meisters, who used the fear-mongering tactic of smearing Harper as a death penalty lover, a homophobe, a misogynist, a gun-slinging, soldiers in the streets type dictator, who would abolish abortion rights and send Canadians back to the Dark Ages of pre-1920's Liberal Canada. What goes around comes around.
[updated Sun Sep 20 03:21:13 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 03:21
Lex Llewdor
If Harper had learned attack ads from Martin, then Harper's attack ads would be laughably ineffective.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:24:42 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:24
FromAlberta (Suspended)
Harper learned attack ads from his friends Chney and Bush.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:26:24 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:26
Lex Llewdor
Given Bush's massive intervention in the US banking sector and his exacerbation of the credit crisis by relaxing lending laws, I don't think Harper would call Bush a friend at all. He might call him an idiot, though.
And given Cheney's general lack of political experience (his only elected position was Vice-President, a job where he's not even the guy on top of the ballot), I don't know why you'd think he had anything to do with campaign advertising.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:54:59 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:54
FromAlberta (Suspended)
He sure makes use of his campaigning tactis sleezy character assassinations an attack ads. And oh yes the great Canadian banking system Flaperty brags about. Solid because of Liberals not Conservatives.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:58:06 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:58
Lex Llewdor
Solid because of both, as it happens.
Just as it took both Democrats and Republicans (working over 70 years) to destroy the US banking sector, it took just as long and just as mny changes of government to avoid doing it here.
But that strong banking sector is why Canada didn't need any stimulus, and the opposition's demands for it have irreversibly harmed Canada.
[updated Wed Sep 16 17:16:22 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 17:16
elf
yes, From Alberta - they applaud the banking system that Paul Martin helped create and take credit for it - do they think we've all forgotten ?
And, when there's a problem ( even of their own making) they somehow manage to blame the Liberals -
no integrity - take the credit but never the responsibility
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:40:03 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:40
Diagnostician
Wrong, Harper learned from Kinsella , Smith & Co. Liberal election campaign meisters, who used the fear-mongering tactic of smearing Harper as a death penalty lover, a homophobe, a misogynist, a gun-slinging, soldiers in the streets type dictator, who would abolish abortion rights and send Canadians back to the Dark Ages of pre-1920's Liberal Canada. What goes around comes around.
[updated Sun Sep 20 03:22:01 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 03:22
psiclone
Putting toe tags on harper right now only proves that you are either so uber partisan that you have lost all grasp of reality or - just another harper hater who is fated to live their poltical junkee life frustrated as all hell -
[updated Tue Sep 15 14:15:15 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 14:15
Diagnostician
Wait until you see what Canadians will do wto Ignatieff, who is seen as "Dion without the accent", or "Dion Light", or "Dion who loves the Tar Sands..."
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:25:21 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:25
FromAlberta (Suspended)
Wait until Harper gets the Kim Campbell treatment for his filthy ads.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:27:42 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:27
westerner (suspended)
"... and "Dion will crush Harper." Where have we heard this nonsense before?
[updated Wed Sep 16 23:32:51 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 23:32
westerner (suspended)
The LIbs said Harper would be gone by June. This is now Sept. Another pile of wishful thinking. Harper has it all over the Prince in the Leadership Index--face the facts and stop hallucinating.
[updated Wed Sep 16 23:38:16 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 23:38
elf
Diagnostician - your diagnostics simply make him a bully - he is not a good leader - as a person who leads for a living I can tell you - he is not a good leader, he motivates by fear and he has no integrity.
I don't like what your diagnosis suggests about Canadians either - it seems to suggest we are like the bystanders who do nothing whist the bully punches out the nice guy - heaven help us
[updated Tue Sep 15 17:59:37 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 17:59
Diagnostician
Elf, fear is a necessary motivator in a minority situation, When Harper gets his majority you will see that he can be magnanimous, as almost all winners are when the win is final. After an election that results in a minority situation the election essentially continues, because the government party knows that the opposition will pull the plug as soon as this is advantageous to them. You may recall that Paul Marrtin used fear when he was in a minority situation. Harper was portrayed, and still is by some fanatics, as a homophobe, a misanthrope, a sexist pig, a man who would put guns in the street, and strangely enough, this fear worked most with the urban population, which is generally considered the most suave and sophisticated segment of the population. Although in Quebec, the rural francophones are the least educated part of the population, and their fear of anglophones led them into the folds of the Bloc quasi-Marxists. Go figure...
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:12:48 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:12
RonaldODowd
Diagnostician,
Did you put Harper and magnanimous in the same sentence? God, I must need new glasses.
[updated Sat Sep 19 22:16:32 -0400 2009]
19 Sep 22:16
Diagnostician
Remember the apology to First Nations? Enough said.
[updated Sun Sep 20 03:23:16 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 03:23
hollinm
elf....Dion redux. I heard these same talking points about Dion when you guys were pitching him as well. Try differenet talking points. You sound effete like your leader talking about bullying and punching out the nice guy. Yikes!
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:52:55 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:52
Lex Llewdor
That's a good point. It's hard not to look like a bully when your counterpart is so weak.
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:57:21 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:57
hollinm
Diagnostician .......I agree. Canadians do respect our PM and know that he is the man for the job in these tough economic times.
[updated Tue Sep 15 18:48:03 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 18:48
Wildrose
70% of Canadians do not respect him at all. A huge chunk of that despise him. The majority do not think he is the man for the job.
[updated Tue Sep 15 22:02:03 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 22:02
elf
Lex - your point about looking like a bully is both simplistic and untrue. The last eection campaign was a perfect opportunity for Harper to show he was a good leader . It would have been easy for him to look magnanimous and statesmanlike because when you perceive someone to be weaker and you still show deference and respect you look like a leader. If he had behaved differently to Mr Dion. he actually might have his majority !! What a chance he threw away.
It is never okay to take advantage of someone who appears less able than you so don't distort things and blame the victim. Mr Dion has so much more intellect, integrity and humanity than Harper he is actually would have been a great PM /leader. The fact that this good man could not bring himself to be as badly behaved as Harper does not make Mr Dion look less of a man but rather it makes Harper look even more like the bully and coward he is.
As Wilrose stated - Canadians did not vote for Harper - if they had he would have the majority he so yearns for - at least 70 % of those who voted did not support him and I know many who didn't vote ( out of frustration) also did not support him.
[updated Wed Sep 16 13:45:46 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 13:45
Lex Llewdor
That's patently false. Of the people who votes last election, 36.27% voted for the Conservatives (just slightly below the 38.46% Chrétien got in 2000). That leaves only 64.73% who could have supported anyone else.
You're basically saying that 800,000 people who voted Conservative did so without intending to support Stephen Harper. Does that make any sense, even to you?
Any party that attracts more than a third of the vote in Canada is the clear favourite among the people.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:20:25 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:20
hollinm
Lex Llewdor.......the Libs and others try to suggest that 60% of those who didn't vote for Harper shows that he is not liked and somehow does not deserve to put forward his program and govern the country.
All I know is that the only other real opponent who can form government is the Liberals and only 26% voted for them. So they have nothing to crow about.
[updated Mon Sep 21 09:13:36 -0400 2009]
21 Sep 09:13
Diagnostician
Dion called Harper 'A Liar" on several occasions and you think that he was more decent than Harper? Come on, that's something Harper did not lower himself to.
Dion even accused Harper of a criminal conspiracy, and Harper only dropped the suit after the election pulverized Dion, out of pity.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:28:43 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:28
elf
Diagnostician -
Harper is a stranger to the truth - is that better ?
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:41:15 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:41
Lex Llewdor
But that majority is even more deeply split on who the right man for the job is.
Of the men currently available, Harper seems (from Nik's most recent poll data) to be the clear leader in that race. On both Competence and Trustworthiness he surpasses Ignatieff and Layton COMBINED.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:22:11 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:22
FromAlberta (Suspended)
The point was that Harper is unpopular, what you say does not change that.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:32:20 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:32
Lex Llewdor
No, but it does make it irrelevant. You could just as easily point out that Stephen Harper likes cheese.
Measured against some arbitrary standard of popularity, Harper is not popular. But he's more popular than the other guys who want his job.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:52:15 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:52
FromAlberta (Suspended)
Not for long. Now he is in bed with the very people he just degraded, he looks weak and and badly outfoxed by Ignatieff. Bad week for Harper.
[updated Wed Sep 16 16:54:37 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 16:54
Lex Llewdor
Great week for Harper. His biggest opponent just threatened to do something the people didn't want (call an election) and Harper defeated him using tactics the people have specifically said they like (working together).
[updated Wed Sep 16 17:14:25 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 17:14
RonaldODowd
Lex,
Can you really type with a straight face and make the bogus argument that this Prime Minister knows how to work together with anyone?
Au contraire, this PM is adept at forcing his policies down the pike with little to no modification. You conveniently forget all those motions passed by the opposition parties in the House that his master's voice has chosen to ignore. I thought we put them there expressly for IMPLEMENTING the will of Parliament?
Has someone changed the rules and forgotten to keep yours truly in the loop? Harper is not a consensus builder either by political inclination or temperament. He can thank God every day that most Canadians are paying little attention to exactly how he conducts himself as PM.
[updated Sat Sep 19 22:26:38 -0400 2009]
19 Sep 22:26
Lex Llewdor
Building consensus is not the only way to work with others.
Did you miss the part where the NDP supported the government's bill? That's working with the opposition.
Did you miss the part where the Bloc supported the government's bill? That's working with the opposition.
They're just not working with the Liberals, partly because the Liberals have publicly declared that they'll vote against any and all confidence motions regardless of their content. Could the Liberals make it more clear that they're interested only in gaining power and not in governing well than they have by pre-emptively declaring that they'll vote against anything regardless of what it is?
[updated Sun Sep 20 18:08:37 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 18:08
RonaldODowd
Lex,
A direct quote:
"Could the Liberals make it more clear that they're interested only in gaining power and not in governing well than they have by pre-emptively declaring that they'll vote against anything regardless of what it is?"
My reply:
Remove the possibility of forming government (by the NDP) and your comments apply exactly to the previous political outlook of the Pension Democrats!
[updated Sun Sep 20 18:20:10 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 18:20
westerner (suspended)
Stupid strategy by the Prince, He is in a corner and can't back out when he has very poor leadership index numbers, Dion all over again!
[updated Wed Sep 16 23:34:55 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 23:34
hollinm
Lex Llewdor......this thing about people not liking Harper is such a tired, old spin line that it is almost ridiculous if it were not so silly.
There are five parties running in the general election (including the Greens) and each has their core supporters. The country is fragemented along voting blocks and with the Bloc taking almost 50 seats in Quebec it is and will be difficult for any federalist party to gain a majority ( I said almost).
The Libs want to suggest as one of their talking points that Harper because he only got 38% of the vote he is not liked. Like you say it is irrelevant.
[updated Mon Sep 21 09:20:17 -0400 2009]
21 Sep 09:20
hollinm
Wildrose... you are in denial. Read the Ekos poll this morning. If it is as you suggest then Canadins have a funny way of showing they despise him.
You Libs sycophants really need to change your talking points They are old and tired and nobody is listening.
You will have noted this morning that the judge threw out democracy watch's lawsuit suggesting the last election was illegal. Another blow for the Libs.
[updated Thu Sep 17 13:59:39 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 13:59
hollinm
Wildrose....dream on. The polls don't support anything you are saying.
[updated Sat Sep 19 18:47:58 -0400 2009]
19 Sep 18:47
ROTFLMAO .You are ,truly, an idiot .
[updated Wed Sep 16 18:47:56 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 18:47
westerner (suspended)
LOL. You are truly an idiot.
[updated Wed Sep 16 23:39:21 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 23:39
Defeated . Your idea of winning is truly bizarre .Winning is forming a majority Not squeaking by with a handful of votes in dozens of ridings .
Sheesh !
[updated Wed Sep 16 19:48:20 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 19:48
westerner (suspended)
Brilliant tactics by Harper and stupid strategy by the Prince, who is now in a very difficult corner.
[updated Wed Sep 16 23:29:12 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 23:29
Tommies
He's brilliant!! He just keeps rolling over these guys and they don't which way to go next!! I think I have him figured out and BAM-he does something that I would have never thought of. Right now he is trying to shove off Jack-so he can get him to vote against the government-but Jack's not playing ball and unfortunately is going to rain on Harper's party. It's too bad because he could win a majority without quebec right now.
[updated Thu Sep 17 17:31:26 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 17:31
Dennis (Second Thoughts)
These are interesting numbers. I wonder how they affect the national party standing, which I'm sure are to follow soon. If the trend continues, my guess is that Iggy won't be pleased.
[updated Tue Sep 15 10:42:21 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 10:42
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HarperS****k (Suspended)
Harper is hitting another new low in wasting our taxpayers money. He is erecting campaign style signs in my riding with Economic Action Plan crap. This is an outrage to Canadian Taxpayers that he is putting these signs up on our dime. He is clearly a scumbag and abusing our tax dollars for partisan purposes. There is no lw that this creep will no stoop to in his quest for power. He is a disgrace to Canada.
[updated Tue Sep 15 21:48:31 -0400 2009]
15 Sep 21:48
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FromAlberta (Suspended)
It's official! The Harper government must agree to a coalition with the seperatists and the socialist idealogues he despises so much, or trigger an election. Ignatieff outfoxed Harper on this one and has placed the PM in this embarassing situation. Ignatieff has won this round soundly.
[updated Wed Sep 16 15:05:08 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 15:05
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Scotian
Harper has had a bad week. First he has to admit he and Flaherty have miscalculted the deficit, yet again, then Harper gets boxed in by Ignatieff and gets in bed with the separatists and socilaists. An embarassment for alll Tories. Now he gets a big snub by Obama. Obama gives him a paltry 42 minutes and has him greeted at the door by an underling. Clearly Harper is not liked by Obama, no matter how hard they try to pretend they are lefties. Obama's not buying the Harper hypocrisy.
[updated Wed Sep 16 17:59:22 -0400 2009]
16 Sep 17:59
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westerner (suspended)
Harper is crushing Iggy on the leadership index. Not hard to understand when Iggy takes the summer off and has yet to establish any Liberal policy positions which were promised by him by June 2009
[updated Thu Sep 17 15:18:58 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 15:18
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HC in AB
Nik
A question.
Do you (or other polling firms who's methodology that you may have knowledge of) adjust your published results to reflect the historical likelyhood of various age demographics to vote?
For example the, 18 to 25 year old cohort consistently polls in favor of the LPC/NDP/GP but (in my recollection, I stand to be corrected) only has about a 40% voter turnout. If an adjustment is not made and the persons polled accurately reflect the age demographic of the overall population, would the published results not overstate the likey election day support for the LPC/NDP/GP? Conversely, the 50 year old plus cohort are likely to have about a 70% or more voter turnout but consistently poll in favor of the CPC.
[updated Thu Sep 17 18:28:27 -0400 2009]
17 Sep 18:28
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PSSSSST; the word on the street, Mr Ignatieff is wanting an election so the Liberals can make some progress in seat numbers, Iggy will take credit for rebuilding the party and exit Canada. Iggy saves face and he's back in Harrrrvarrrd before the 2010 fall semester.
[updated Fri Sep 18 08:40:14 -0400 2009]
18 Sep 08:40
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RonaldODowd
The Nanos Report.
Congratulations! Just caught the premiere episode of TNR -- it was excellent. I look forward to many fine programs and encourage everyone to take it in.
By the way Nik, you're doing a fine job as moderator considering that you are not a trained journalist. Keep up the good work.
[updated Sun Sep 20 20:31:51 -0400 2009]
20 Sep 20:31
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