The International Fund for Animal Welfare has paid for a poll in the Toronto riding of Parkdale-High Park. It is a riding far from the breeding grounds of Canada's seal population. I know. I grew up there.
I just thought it important to point that out.
The poll itself reveals an interesting race:
Among decided voters, [NDP candidate Peggy Nash] leads the electoral race with 46% support, compared to 35% for [Liberal Party candidate Gerard Kennedy]. However, the race is not yet over, with 32% of decided voters indicating they might still change their minds before Election Day.
Among those who felt they might change their minds, 27% said they would choose Nash as their second pick; an equal number would choose Kennedy.
So what is going to decide this riding? The Green Shift? The turmoil in the markets? Afghanistan?
"While Peggy Nash is in the lead, the race in Parkdale-High Park is far from over and, in a close race, the issue of the seal hunt could be a deciding factor," said Sheryl Fink, a senior researcher with IFAW. Fink added, "We are working to ensure that the next MP for Parkdale-High Park represents the views of the majority of constituents, who are opposed to Canada's commercial seal hunt."
The issue of the seal hunt could be the deciding factor?!
*snort*
*giggle*
OK, I'm laughing out loud on this one.
Hmmm. Do I vote Liberal or do I vote NDP? I'm nervous about this Green Shift given the markets today. But Jack Layton's plan to tax everyone and everything related to corporations can't be good for jobs, can it? I know! Which one of them supports the seal hunt? That was all we were talking about yesterday at Starbucks, what with the rumours of a sealer ship anchoring at Bloor and Windermere to start looking for seals along Durie Street. Was that Kennedy or Nash who was shaking the captain's hand and thanking him for getting all those pesky seals out of the oak trees. Hey, no one likes it when a seal drops on your head, but I can't support a seal hunt!
Damn. I have to wonder if the people who were hired to do the poll were laughing when this one landed on their desks.
Real polls: It looks like the slide has bottomed out and the spread between the Conservatives and the Liberals is growing again.
From Harris-Decima:
Heading into the Thanksgiving weekend ahead of the Oct. 14 vote, new poll numbers suggest Stephen Harper's Conservatives may be on the way back up in the minds of voters after enduring a slide in support earlier this week.
A Canadian Press/Harris-Decima poll released Friday shows the Harper Tories have the support of 34 per cent of respondents, up two percentage points from Thursday.
The four-day rolling poll shows Stéphane Dion's Liberals are down a point to 26 per cent compared to the previous day's polling.
From Nanos, today reporting a six-point spread, compared to a three-point difference on Tuesday, and four-point differences on Wednesday and yesterday:
As the election campaign enters its final weekend before Canadians head to the polls, results of today’s CPAC-Nanos tracking poll show the Conservatives at 33% nationally, six points ahead of the Liberals who dip to 27%.
None of these pollsters are reporting on the seal controversy as driving the latest trends.
