New Poll Shoots Holes in Harper Strategy

I thought I was done with the long gun registry but there was something in the Harper Government response to the defeat of Candy Hoeppner’s bill that offended me enough to keep watching this file. Remember Harper was very clear that those who switched their votes will pay at the polls and that the Conservatives will not rest until the registry is abolished.

I new poll was released yesterday that illustrates how out of touch that bunch of Tories really are. The Ipsos Reid poll was conducted between September 27 and October 4l shows that two thirds of Canadians, support the long-gun registry. The figure is 66% to be exact. Even people who tend to vote for the Harper Conservatives are split on the issue.

Alberta is the only place in Canada where citizens support the scrapping of the registry. No real surprise there but even in wild rose country, the figures are close with 53% in opposition to the registry with 47% in support. The poll finds that support for the registry is highest in Quebec  at 81% followed by Ontario at 66%, British Columbia at 61%, Atlantic Canada supports the registry by 59%  and Saskatchewan and Manitoba combined come in at 57% supporting the registry.

The last figure may come as a surprise to Saskatchewan residents who were bombarded by media reports during the registry fight, suggesting that far in a majority of residents supported abolition. Even the CBC in Saskatchewan pandered to the abolitionists giving voice to every crazy in the province on Garth Materie's call-in show. I simply couldn’t listen to the rants and as a result have pretty much given up on CBC local radio.

 Other interesting figures jump out of the survey;:

-  Conservative voters mirrored the Alberta results with 47% supporting the registry and    53% opposed.

-  Liberals  were at 78% support to  22% opposed.

-  Sixty sever percent of NDPers support the registry and 33% oppose.

-  Bloc Quebecois voters: 88 % support; 12 % oppose.

-  With the Green party, 68% support; 32% oppose.

The poll finds that 23% of Canadians say the results of the recent parliamentary tussle over Hoeppner's bill could have an impact on how they vote in the next election.

 Let's bring on an election an toss those bums out.