The BC NDP leads in new poll despite being so unpopular
In many ways, it hasn’t been the best year for the BC NDP.
The government has dealt with a lot of blowback due to its handling of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), concerns over property rights, and people struggling with the high cost of living.
So far this year, it’s been reflected in the polls. In early May, before the BC Conservatives voted Kerry-Lynne Findlay as their leader, the Angus Reid Institute found that the leaderless Party had a 10-point lead over the BC NDP in vote intention.
“The flight of support from the BC NDP comes as the future of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) remains ambiguous after Eby and the BC NDP decided not to pursue suspending the legislation this spring after the suggestion was met with anger from the province’s First Nations,” the Angus Reid Institute said in a release.
And in June, the Angus Reid Institute found that Premier David Eby’s approval rating dropped to 31 per cent, a “personal worst” and down six points from the previous quarter.
Angus Reid Institute
However, a recent poll suggests that things might be turning around for the NDP.
According to a survey from Research Co., the governing party is now ahead of the opposition.
Research Co. surveyed 801 adults between Aug. 12 and 14, finding that 44 per cent of decided voters would vote for the BC NDP and 39 per cent would support the BC Conservatives. Ten per cent said they would vote for the Green Party, five per cent for Centre BC, and one per cent for OneBC.
Research Co. also found that Eby’s approval rating was at 49 per cent, with Findlay’s at 34 per cent.
In a survey that Research Co. conducted in early June, they found that 42 per cent of decided voters said they would support the opposition BC Conservatives in a provincial election, and 42 per cent said they would support the governing BC NDP.
“Over the summer, the BC Conservatives have dropped five points among decided voters aged 55 and over,” said Mario Canseco, President of Research Co, in a press release published today. “The BC New Democrats have gained in this demographic by the same margin.”
Research Co. also broke down support by geography, finding that the BC NDP has a substantial lead on Vancouver Island (52 per cent to 26 per cent), with the BC Conservatives holding a similar lead in Northern BC (53 per cent to 32 per cent).
The two parties are tied in the Fraser Valley at 45 per cent each, and the BC NDP holds a narrow lead in Metro Vancouver (42 per cent to 40 per cent) and Southern B.C. (47 per cent ot 45 per cent).
What’s changed?
Since Findlay was voted as the leader of the BC Conservatives, her leadership direction has drawn criticism from long-standing conservatives, with a couple of MLAs leaving the caucus.
Just last week, Peter Milobar, the MLA for Kamloops Centre, left the Party to sit as an Independent, saying that his “values don’t align” with the “new direction” Findlay has taken the Party.
Amelia Boultbee is another former B.C. Conservative who recently left the Party, although she joined the NDP rather than going Independent.
Further, Mark Robertson, the director of political operations and membership, left the Party on Aug. 4. In a social media post announcing his departure, he wrote that he hopes that Findlay’s new staff “do not squander this opportunity to build on the work that has been accomplished so far.”
With files from Amir Ali