Jaffer-Guergis Affair Leaves Little Impact on Voters

Toronto, ON - The scandal surrounding former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer and the fallout which cost his wife, Helena Guergis, her job in cabinet and resulted in her expulsion from the Conservative caucus appears to have had little impact on voters in Canada. Amid Parliamentary Committee hearings and growing accusations that Jaffer was allegedly attempting to sell government access, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global National has revealed that little has changed with national-voting intentions since two weeks ago, before the most serious allegations were brought forward and before the resignation of Ms. Guergis.

If an election were held tomorrow, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives would receive 35% of the vote among decided voters (down 2 points) while the Liberals under Leader Michael Ignatieff would receive 29% of the vote (up 2 points). The NDP and Jack Layton would receive 16% of the national popular vote (up 1 point), while the Elizabeth May's Green Party would receive 10% support (unchanged). The Bloc led by Gilles Duceppe sits at 9%, nationally (down 1 point). Seven percent of voters remain undecided.

In Quebec, the Bloc (35%) continues to enjoy a commanding lead over the Liberals (24%), Conservatives (20%), NDP (11%) and Green Party (10%).

In Ontario, the Grits (39%) have a slight edge over the Tories (35%), but both parties are well ahead of the NDP (15%) and Green Party (10%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global Television from April 20 to 22, 2010. 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. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Darrell Bricker, PhD
President and CEO
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2001
[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.

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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 2009, Ipsos generated global revenues of e943.7 million ($1.33 billion U.S.). .

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