B.C. Conservatives surge in latest poll

The B.C. NDP have taken a nine-point lead as support for the B.C. Liberals plummets,but it's the reinvigorated B.C. Conservatives that are breaking new ground,according to the latest Angus Reid poll released on Thursday.

Pollster Mario Canseco says 40 per cent of the 803 voters surveyed said they would support an NDP candidate in the next provincial election,up two percentage points since last March.

But it is the B.C. Conservatives who are making the most gains since Premier Christy Clark took over the reins of the B.C. LiberalParty from former premier Gordon Campbell last winter.

The Liberals' support fell to 31 per cent, down 12 percentage points from last March, while the B.C. Conservatives reached their highest level of support at 18 per cent, up 13 points. The Green Party was fourth at eight per cent, down two percentage points.

"The B.C. Conservatives have increased their standing dramatically, particularly in the southern Interior and the north. The Tories have attracted a large proportion of former B.C. Liberal supporters, effectively splitting the centre-right vote, despite the fact that many British Columbians either do not know John Cummins, or have not made up their minds about him," he said.

"The NDP maintains sizeable leads over the B.C. Liberals in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. In the Interior and the North, one in five decided votersare supporting the B.C. Tories, leading to a virtual tie for first place between New Democrats and Liberals," said Canseco.

The Conservative surge, which is splitting support on the right,is great news for the opposition NDP says Canseco.

"What is says is that with the way things are going now, the NDP would be in a really good position to form the next government because most of the support for the B.C. Conservatives is coming from B.C. Liberal voters."

Clark remains as popular as Dix

Despite the Liberal's falling support, Clark does not appear to be an unpopular leader according to the poll.

Amongst leaders, NDP leader Adrian Dix and Premier Christy Clark were virtually tied with a 40 percent approval rating for Dix and 39 per cent approval for Clark, while Green Party leader Jane Sterk and John Cummins were also in virtual tie with 21 per cent for Sterk and 19 per cent for Cummins.

But Clark won the most support when asked who would make the best premier, picking up 25 per cent compared to Dix's 19, Cummins's nine, and Sterk's two per cent support.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 per cent.

The next provincial election is scheduled for May 2013.