Angry in the Great White North

Can the news for Stephane Dion get any worse?

His leadership numbers are tanking. But surely Canadians trust him on the environment, right? They can't possibly trust the Tories to be responsible caretakers of the environment, can they?

Not only do Canadians trust Stephen Harper more than Stephane Dion to manage the environment, they do so by a wide margin:

Many adults in Canada think the Green party is well prepared to deal with the issue of climate change, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 34 per cent of respondents think the Greens are best suited to develop effective global warming legislation.

The Conservative party is second with 26 per cent, followed by the Liberal party with 18 per cent, the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 15 per cent, and the Bloc Quebecois with three per cent.

Now the poll goes on to show that the problem for the Liberals is vote-spltting. When the NDP, the Greens, and the Bloc are removed, the numbers shift:

When respondents are asked to choose between the governing Conservatives and the opposition Liberals, 34 per cent pick the Grits, while 31 per cent select the Tories. 36 per cent of respondents are undecided.

But look closely. It looks like the Liberals win, but then only barely. Why such a slim margin? When the NDP, Green, and Bloc votes are redistributed, the majority of Canada's left-of-centre vote would rather park their vote than support Stephane Dion. These are numbers that Liberals cannot ignore. Part of the job of Liberal leader is to pull votes away from the NDP and the Green Party (Bloc votes are driven by other motivations) in sufficient numbers to defeat the Conservatives. On the environmental file, that is not happening. Remove the NDP and the Green Party, and Stephane Dion is still unable to united the left.

It's like the NDP and the Green Party have retired from the field, and Stephane Dion still can't get the ball in the net. He just can't get the job done!

Of course, the NDP and the Green Party will participate in any upcoming election, and that's bad news for Stephane Dion.