Vote Gap Narrows as Grits, Not Tories,
Get Post-Budget Bounce

Toronto, ON - With the budget now passed as a result of Liberal support, and with the Conservatives put on `probation' by Mr. Ignatieff, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global Television has revealed a narrowing of the gap between the Tories and the Grits.

If an election were to be held tomorrow, Stephen Harper's Conservatives would receive support from 37% of decided voters (down 2 points), while the Liberals under the leadership of Michael Ignatieff would garner 31% support (up 3 points). The Liberals have steadily been closing the gap between themselves and the Conservatives from 23 points at the beginning of December to just 6 points currently.

The NDP led by Jack Layton would receive 14% of the vote (down 1 point), and the Green Party under Elizabeth May would receive 7% support (down 2 points). The Bloc has the support of 42% of Quebecers (10% nationally), an increase of 7 points. Five percent (5%) of voters remain undecided.

Support for the major parties varies by region:

• In British Columbia, the Conservatives (48%) continue to hold a commanding lead over the Liberals (24%) and NDP (20%), while the Green Party (6%) trails behind.
• In Alberta, the Conservatives (70%) dominate the landscape, while the Liberals (17%), Greens (7%) and NDP {4%) are well back.
• In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Conservatives have 55% support, followed by the Liberals (22%), NDP (15%) and Green Party (8%).
• In seat-rich Ontario, the Liberals (39%) have overtaken the Conservatives (37%), and the NDP (14%) and Greens (10%) are far behind.
• In Quebec, the Bloc (42%) widens its lead over the Liberals (24%), Conservatives (18%), NDP (11%) and Green Party (10%).
• In Atlantic Canada, the Liberals (48%) are on top, followed by the NDP (25%) and the Conservatives (24%), while the Green Party lags (4%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted February 3 to 5, 2009 for Canwest News Service and Global Television. 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 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:
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.

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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 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).

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