Support for B.C. Conservatives slips after leaders' debate: poll

There are fewer people planning to vote B.C. Conservative following last week's televised leaders' debate, according to a new survey that found most viewers felt John Rustad performed "poorly" against his political rivals.

The latest polling from the Angus Reid Institute was conducted in the five days after Rustad faced off against B.C. NDP Leader David Eby and B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, in an event that saw the three opponents trade barbs on issues from housing to health care. 

While post-debate support for the NDP remained static at 45 per cent, support for the Conservatives slid to 40 per cent – a decline of four percentage points from the previous ARI survey conducted in September.

Support for Furstenau's Greens surged to 12 per cent, an increase of two percentage points.

The Green leader fared best in the debate, according to the poll, with 79 per cent of respondents either feeling she performed "well" or "very well."

By comparison, 63 per cent of respondents felt Eby performed "well" or "very well," while only 38 per cent said the same about Rustad.

"Furstenau is perhaps buoyed by her well-received debate performance, while Rustad is perhaps dragged down by his, which was criticized by many including one assessment calling his performance ‘cadaverous,’” the Angus Reid Institute noted.

With only days to go until the Oct. 19 election, Rustad's party also "appears to have lost crucial momentum in districts south of the Fraser River, notably Richmond, Surrey and Delta," according to pollsters.

The ARI noted that softening support comes in the wake of controversies surrounding two Conservative candidates in Metro Vancouver – both of whom remain in the party.

One of them, embattled Surrey South candidate Brent Chapman, faced new backlash Sunday for past Facebook remarks casting doubt on the official accounts of mass shooting events in Canada and the U.S. 

The full survey results, including regional breakdowns of voter intentions, are available online. 

The Angus Reid Institute poll was conducted online from Oct. 9 to 13 among a representative sample of 2,863 adults who are living in B.C. and are members of the Angus Reid Forum.

A probability sample of that size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, according to the company.

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