Harper's Tories Need a Little Help
From Some Friends

Toronto, ON - Following a week that juxtaposed a relaxed and confident Prime Minister tickling the ivories and singing the popular Beatles tune "With a Little Help from my Friends" with a Leader of the Opposition who is struggling to establish his authority over Liberal MPs and Senators, a new Ipsos Reid poll has revealed that, despite these events, the Conservatives are still shy of majority territory.

If an election were to be held tomorrow, the Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper would receive 39% of the vote among decided voters (up 2 points), while Michael Ignatieff's Liberals would receive 29% support (down 1 point).

Jack Layton and the NDP would receive 13% of the vote (down 1 point), and the Green Party led by Elizabeth May would receive 8% of the vote (down 1 point). Nationally, Gilles Duceppe's Bloc sits at 10% support (up 1 point). One in ten (8%) Canadians remain undecided.

While some pundits have argued that the Tories are in majority territory, the numbers in the key battlegrounds of Ontario and Quebec would suggest otherwise. Although the Conservatives continue to lead in Ontario, in Quebec they have failed to gain any significant traction:

• In Ontario, the Conservatives (40%) hold a lead over the Liberals (36%), while the Green Party (12%) and NDP (11%) are statistically tied for support.
• In Quebec, the Bloc has (40%) has solidified their position in the lead, while the Liberals (26%) have pulled back and the Conservatives (20%) continue to struggle. The NDP (9%) and Green Party (5%) trail behind.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global Television from October 6 to 8, 2009. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 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:
Darrell Bricker, PhD
President and CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2001
[email protected]

or
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[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.

About 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.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.

In 2008, Ipsos generated global revenues of e979.3 million ($1.34 billion U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.