Poll suggests B.C. Conservatives move past NDP in voter support

The Conservative Party of B.C. is calling the latest poll on the provincial election “great news,” but adds it’s just a snapshot in time, and they “can’t take their foot off the gas.”

“British Columbians are fed up. They want change. NDP policies aren’t working. It’s time to try something new,” CPBC leader John Rustad said in an email to subscribers on Friday.

Mainstreet Research is suggesting the right-wing party is backed by 38.9 per cent of decided voters, pulling ahead of David Eby’s governing NDP for the first time.

The NDP is at 36.2 per cent, with BC United a distant third at 15.3 per cent, and the BC Greens with 6.7 per cent support.

Mainstreet said the poll tested two scenarios: the first with BC United and the second using the more established BC Liberal brand. At random, half the respondents were asked the ballot question using BC Liberal and others using BC United.

Among those asked how they would vote including the BC Liberals led by Kevin Falcon, BC Conservatives led with 40.1 per cent followed by the NDP at 33.8 per cent and Liberals at 15.8 per cent with the Greens at 7 per cent.

“The latest snapshot of the B.C. political landscape paints a grim scene for Kevin Falcon and the BC United Party,” Quito Maggi, president & CEO of Mainstreet Research, said.

“Even in the unlikely scenario where they choose to reverse course on the disastrous party branding exercise, it’s unlikely they would have enough time to recover before the next election,” Maggi added.

The next provincial election will be held in October.

The poll also asked how B.C. residents might vote in a federal election with the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre, getting 55.8 per cent support versus 17.8 per cent for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals and 15.8 per cent for Jagmeet Singh and the NDP.