According to a recent poll, support for the British Columbia Conservative Party has decreased following the leaders’ debate.
The poll, conducted by Research Co., surveyed 750 eligible voters in British Columbia between October 14 and 16. It found that 29% of respondents would vote for the BC Conservatives if an election were held today, down from 33% in a previous poll conducted in September.
The decrease in support for the BC Conservatives comes after the leaders’ debate on October 13, where party leader Trevor Bolin faced criticism for his performance. Bolin was seen as lacking in policy knowledge and struggling to articulate his party’s platform.
In contrast, the poll found that support for the BC NDP has increased to 45%, up from 41% in September. This could be attributed to the strong performance of NDP leader John Horgan during the debate, where he was praised for his knowledge and confidence.
The BC Liberals, led by Andrew Wilkinson, saw a slight decrease in support, dropping from 31% in September to 30% in the recent poll.
The Green Party, led by Sonia Furstenau, maintained their support at 14%.
The poll also asked respondents about their thoughts on the leaders’ debate. 41% of those surveyed said Horgan performed the best, followed by Wilkinson at 26%, Furstenau at 12%, and Bolin at 6%. 15% of respondents said they were not sure who performed the best.
When asked about the most important issue facing British Columbia, 33% of respondents said the economy and jobs, followed by healthcare at 22%, housing at 19%, and the environment at 12%.
The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The next provincial election in British Columbia is scheduled for October 2024, but it could be called earlier if the current minority government falls.
