Most Canadians (62%) Say Parties' Stance on Issues Will Drive their Vote, Not Party Leaders (21%)
or Local Candidates (17%)

Ottawa, ON - According to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television, the most important factor in determining how most Canadians will vote is `the parties' positions on important issues' (62%), not what they `think about the party leaders' (21%) or their `local candidates' (17%).

In every region a plurality believes that their vote will be driven by the policies of each party:

• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (75%) are most likely to say that the driving factor of their vote choice will be the issues, followed by those living in Alberta (66%), British Columbia (66%), Ontario (62%), Quebec (59%) and Atlantic Canada (48%).
• Those in Quebec (26%) have the highest propensity to say that they are most heavily influenced by what they think of the party leaders. Atlantic Canadians (26%), Albertans (21%), Ontarians (19%), British Columbians (15%) and those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (15%) are less likely to say this.
• Atlantic Canadians (25%) are most likely to have their vote primarily influenced by their local candidates, while those in Ontario (20%), British Columbia (18%), Quebec (15%), Alberta (13%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (10%) are less likely to say that their vote is determined in this manner.

In view of the importance in determining their vote that Canadian's ascribe to parties' stances on issues (over what they think about the party leader or their local candidates) and given that their particular issue has recently receded in importance, an issue-based party like the Bloc Quebecois is put in a precarious situation. In fact, nearly one half (46%) of Quebecers `agree' (26% strongly/20% somewhat) that `voting for the Bloc Quebecois in this election is a wasted vote', while two in five (41%) `disagree' (24% strongly/17% somewhat) with this view, suggesting that a vote for the Bloc is still relevant.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television from September 17 to September 18, 2008. This online survey of 1013 Canadian adults was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Ontarian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. An unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire adult population in Canada been polled.

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.

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