'Just staggering': Poll shows more than half of B.C. voters would go Conservative if a federal election were called now

The federal Conservative Party is gaining a level of support that hasn’t been seen this century.

That’s according to a new poll gauging who would form government if an election were held this week.

It reveals the Tories now have an unprecedented level of support from B.C. voters.

Results of the online survey indicate that the federal Conservatives had amassed a significant lead over the governing Liberal Party on the weekend prior to Justin Trudeau’s announced resignation as prime minister.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, 47 per cent of decided voters in Canada would support the Conservative candidate in their riding if an election took place tomorrow.

That’s up seven points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in August 2024.

The Liberal Party is a distant second with 21 per cent (-4), followed by the New Democratic Party with 15 per cent (-2), the Bloc Québécois with 10 per cent (+1), the Green Party with 3 per cent (-3) and the People’s Party with 2 per cent (=).

More than half of British Columbians would vote Conservative if an election were held now.

“Fifty-four per cent of decided voters (are) saying, 'I would vote for the Conservatives.' Stephen Harper was forming governments – two minorities, one majority government – and never had this level of support,” said Mario Canseco, president of Research Co.

Canseco calls the British Columbian results “just staggering.”

“There's a lot of people who seem to be dissatisfied with what the centre-left is offering, either in the form of the Liberals or the NDP,” said Canseco.

The poll suggests the Tories are leading across the country with the exception of Quebec.

“It certainly suggests that the situation for Justin Trudeau was untenable. It was going to be very difficult to come back from the levels that the Liberal Party has right now,” said Canseco.

Nearly three-in-ten Canadians say housing, homelessness and poverty is the most important concern facing the country.

The economy and jobs, health care, immigration and the environment were also named as key issues.

Official Opposition and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has the highest approval rating among all federal leaders at 52 per cent.

He’s followed by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh at 39 per cent, prime minister and Liberal Leader Trudeau at 34 per cent, Green Leader Elizabeth May at 32 per cent, Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet at 27 per cent, and People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier at 23 per cent.

As for who would make the best prime minister, Poilievre was first with 39 per cent.

A majority of Canadians surveyed also said they would be comfortable with Poilievre being in charge of Canada’s economy.

“The most important issue is to establish an emotional connection with voters. I think we see a little bit of that with the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives' very quick, easy-to-memorize slogans,” said Canseco.

He says history has shown that a good campaign could still change the political landscape before voters head to the polls.

Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5, 2025, among a representative sample of 1,002 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.