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Manitoba NDP support slides, poll shows

A new poll shows support for Manitoba’s NDP government is slipping.

The latest Probe Research poll suggests 46 per cent of Manitobans would vote for the Conservatives if an election were held now. That number is up four points from April.

In comparison, only 28 per cent of the 1,000 people polled said they would vote NDP.

The dip comes just months after Premier Greg Selinger was ranked in the top three premiers in Canada, according to an Angus Reid poll.

“The gulf between the governing NDP and the opposition Tories is expanding, and clearly, today, the Conservatives are in top spot,” said Scott MacKay, the president of Probe Research.

Mackay added the Tories are doing well in critical City of Winnipeg ridings and “among certain segments of the population that have traditionally not been Conservative strengths -- such as women.”

The quarterly results showed the Tories garnered 41 per cent of the females polled, while NDP got 31 per cent.

Manitoba’s Official Opposition leader Brian Pallister said the party has made an increased effort to talk directly to Manitoba voters.

“We’re reaching out. We’re asking for support. We’re walking and we’re talking and we’re gathering ideas from Manitobans,” said Pallister.

But MacKay said the poll may have more to do with what the NDP government is doing wrong, rather than what Manitoba’s Conservatives are doing right.

In the province’s latest budget, officials announced a controversial increase in provincial sales tax from seven per cent to eight per cent. The proceeds of the hike are expected to go entirely to improving infrastructure across Manitoba.

That decision could have cost them. According to Probe Research, the NDP’s current level of support is the lowest it has been since 1997.

On Wednesday, NDP officials released this statement in response to the poll numbers:

“With so much global uncertainty, governments across Canada are making difficult decisions to protect families and secure our economy. In Manitoba we have the added threat of repeated flooding. A decision to raise any tax is never easy. But a 1 cent on the dollar increase in the PST means stable funding for critical infrastructure like flood protection and roads, without cutting from our schools and hospitals. Investing in infrastructure will also create 100,000 new jobs over the next ten years.”

The poll has a 3.1 per cent error margin 19 times out of 20.