Despite Gaffes And Woes,
Tories (35%) Hold Narrow Lead Over Grits (31%)

Ottawa, ON - A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television finds that the Cadman controversy has not had a meaningful impact on Canadians' party support. The ruling Conservatives have the support of 35% of decided voters, while the Liberals remain in second place with 31% support. The NDP have the support of 15% of Canadians, while the Green Party would be the choice of 9% if an election were held tomorrow.

Within Quebec, the Bloc has the support of 36% of Quebecers, while the Grits (26%) and the Tories (24%) trail behind. The NDP within Quebec has 9% support, while the Greens have just 5% support.

In vote-rich Ontario, the Liberals at 40% support lead the Conservatives (31%), while the NDP (16%) and Green Party (12%) lag behind.

Despite the fact that the Cadman controversy has once again fuelled speculation about a possible federal election, Canadians have made it clear that they do not want an election, with two thirds (66%, up 4 points since mid-February) indicating that `there's no need for an election at the moment'. Just three in ten (27%, down 9 points) believe that `we really need an election to clear the air' and seven percent (up 5 points) of Canadians are unsure.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television from March 4 to March 6, 2008. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1001 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1773.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Dr. Darrell Bricker
President & CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416-509-8460
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

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