Ford's PC Party has eight-point lead over Liberals but Crombie gaining ground in some areas: poll
While Ontario’s PC Party is maintaining its lead in Ontario, a new poll suggests that Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals appear to be gaining ground in some regions of the province.
The Liason Strategies poll, released Tuesday, found that 34 per cent of respondents would vote for Doug Ford’s PC Party if an election were held today, compared to 26 per cent who said they would vote for the Liberals, and 18 per cent who would cast their ballot for the NDP. A further 15 per cent of respondents were undecided. Among decided and leaning voters only, the Tories had the support of 38 per cent of respondents compared to 30 per cent each for the Liberals and 22 per cent for the NDP.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The poll, which was conducted between Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, surveyed 1,236 Ontario voters throughout the province.
"While Doug Ford is leading the Crombie Liberals by eight points, the regionals are looking a little rosier for Crombie," David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said in a written statement accompanying the poll.
Valentin noted that the Liberals are leading in the northern part of the province, with 34 per cent support, as well as Toronto, with 40 per cent support. In the 905, the Liberals and Tories are tied at 38 per cent support.
Valentin goes on to note that Ford has a “commanding lead in most other regions,” with the strong support in Eastern Ontario, where 46 per cent of respondents said they would vote for the Tories. In southwestern Ontario, 40 per cent confirmed that they would support Ford’s PC Party.
The poll also found that residents of the province have a “dim view of the healthcare system.”
According to the poll, a “strong majority” of respondents, about 66 per cent, believe the healthcare system is worse today than it was five years ago.
About 48 per cent said they believe the system will stay the same, while 24 per cent believe it will deteriorate further.
About 78 per cent of respondents said they were not confident they could see a family doctor within 24 hours, 69 per cent said they were not confident they would receive a room in a hospital if needed, 82 per cent said they were not confident in their ability to see a specialist before a medical condition got worse, and 74 per cent said they were not confident they could get a necessary surgery in a timely fashion.
"Ontarians' confidence in the healthcare system is broken but at the same time, they would re-elect the incumbent government today,” Valentin noted.
“There is very little confidence in any aspect of the system… We've seen many stories about the healthcare system in the last few months and it's clear from those stories and personal experiences that Ontarians have concluded there is not much in the system they can depend on.”
The poll is considered accurate plus or minus 2.79 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Singh says the NDP 'will vote to bring this government down' in new letter
After months of being non-committal, in a new letter, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his caucus 'will vote to bring this government down,' sometime in 2025.
WATCH LIVE 4 ministers get new portfolios, 8 Liberal MPs promoted in Trudeau cabinet shuffle
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added eight Liberal MPs to his front bench reassigned four ministers in a cabinet shuffle in Ottawa on Friday.
Weather alerts in effect across Canada: Freezing rain, snow, extreme cold
Environment Canada has issued a series of winter weather alerts from Edmonton to St. John's as freezing rain, snow squalls and extreme cold blanket parts of the country.
Joss Stone says she's discovered she's pregnant – just weeks after adopting a baby
Joss Stone has revealed that she is pregnant, just weeks after she and her husband adopted a baby boy.
A new book about Chrystia Freeland just came out. Here's what we learned
A new book about Chrystia Freeland has just come out, after the publishing company sped up its release date by a few months. CTV News sifted through the book and pulled out some notable anecdotes, as well as insights about Freeland's relationship with the prime minister.
U.S. recalls 600K car seats, fix available to Canadians
Nuna Baby Essentials is recalling nearly 609,000 child car seats because the harness adjuster can loosen and the seats may not restrain children.
Man arrested in Quebec for alleged plot to kill Jews in NYC transferred to Montreal
A Pakistani man arrested in Quebec for an alleged plot to kill Jews in New York City has been transferred to a provincial detention centre in Montreal from Rimouski, Que.
'Lowlifes': B.C. family outraged over theft of outdoor Christmas decorations
Security footage from a home in Vancouver’s Kerrisdale neighbourhood clearly shows a man grabbing Christmas decorations from the front lawn, and then casually walking away with them.
'Concerned, frustrated, in fear': Renewed calls for government to address antisemitism after third gunfire incident at Toronto Jewish school
A Jewish elementary school in Toronto has been struck by gunfire for the third time in the last seven months.