A new poll this week found the Stephen Harper Conservative government is losing support in BC and in one of their key demographics. Supporters age 55 and up seem to be leaning more toward the NDP, according to numbers from Insights West.
VANCOUVER – After the Alberta shocker where Rachel Noteley-led provincial NDP swept to power in an overwhelming majority, the federal NDP is getting a nice bounce across Canada with their fortunes rising, including BC.
A new poll this week found the Stephen Harper Conservative government is losing support in BC and in one of their key demographics. Supporters age 55 and up seem to be leaning more toward the NDP, according to numbers from Insights West, reported News 1130.
The pollster’s Mario Canseco says the Tories are losing touch with older generations which are also the most likely to show up at the polls. And given the recent NDP win in Alberta, he adds the new Democrats should be jumping on it.
“One of the lessons here for the NDP federally is if you really want to win seats, you need to court those voters to really get that over 55 crowd that usually tends to vote for either of the two major parties and insist that they take a look at the NDP,” Canseco said.
He explains the numbers are a bit of a surprise, given older generations have largely been supporting the Conservatives since the 2004 election.
“And we’re starting to see some cracks in that foundation, many residents over the age of 55, who are looking at the NDP as an option — and if those numbers hold then there could be some seats up for grabs.”
In Metro Vancouver, the Tories and NDP are actually tied at 32 per cent support with the Liberals trailing slightly behind.
