Majority of B.C. residents oppose snap election, Angus Reid poll finds

Majority of B.C. residents oppose snap election, Angus Reid poll finds
CHEK

The majority of British Columbians oppose a snap election and would also like Premier Christy Clark to step down as leader of the B.C. Liberals, according to a new Angus Reid poll.

In the poll, 71 per cent of respondents they would not like to see another election in the province right away, while 29 per cent said B.C. should hold another election right away.

Credit: Angus Reid Institute

Credit: Angus Reid Institute

Another key finding was 62 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to see Clark step down as leader of the B.C. Liberals, including 32 per cent of her own party’s supporters.

Credit: Angus Reid Institute

As for NDP Leader John Horgan, 18 per cent of Green Party supporters said their view of him had worsened, compared to 18 per cent who said it had improved and 64 per cent who said it had stayed the same.

Four in 10 NDP voters said their view of B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver had improved.

The poll also said only 11 per cent of the people surveyed would vote differently if they had a second chance. However, if an election was held, 35 per cent of the “vote changers” said they would aim for a Liberal majority, more than the 22 per cent who said they would switch their vote to ensure an NDP majority.

As for other issues, 39 per cent of respondents support the Trans Mountain pipeline while 40 per cent support the Site C dam. Seventy-six per cent supported banning corporate and union donations while 59 per cent supported electoral reform.

Clark has said she will continue to govern until her minority government is defeated, which is expected to happen following a confidence vote in the legislature. B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan is expected to become the next premier as the B.C. Green Party has agreed to support the NDP in a minority government.

READ MORE: CHEK Point: If BC is forced into another election, will you change your vote?

In the poll, only 15 per cent said the alliance could last more than two years. The largest group, 28 per cent, said they had no idea or couldn’t say how long the NDP and Greens would be able to work together.

The Liberals have 43 seats to 41 seats for the NDP and three seats for the Greens.

The poll also looked at the mood of the province. More than one in three British Columbians worry that their own standard of living will be worse a year from now, a seven year high.

The Angus Reid Institute poll was conducted from June 15 to 19 using an online survey among a representative random sample of 810 B.C. residents over the age of 18. A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

 

Alexa HuffmanAlexa Huffman

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