BC Liberals trailing NDP in polls

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Premier Christy Clark says she’s more concerned about creating jobs than some less-than-stellar poll numbers. A new online survey of 800 British Columbians by Angus Reid puts the NDP ahead of the BC Liberals and opposition leader Adrian Dix above Premier Clark for the first time.

Dix’s approval rating improved to 45 per cent while Clark went up one point to 40 per cent. Green Party leader Jane Sterk went up four points to 25 per cent while BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins rose also rose four points to 23 per cent.

Dix is the top choice for preferred premier (26%) for the first time, followed by Clark (22%), Cummins (8%) and Sterk (3%).

“It can no longer be said that come election time — which means that people will focus on the leader, that’s what happens during elections — she will bring the party up her standing,” explains John Redekop, a political scientist with Trinity Western University.

“Governments in times of economic hard times tend to be turfed out. Add to that the anger against the Liberal government over the last few years — and it did not involve only the HST — and that spells trouble,” he explains.

“If I spend my time thinking about the polls, I’m not going to be spending it thinking about jobs,” says Clark, when asked about the polls.

“There’s been a CFIB poll that’s come out that tells us that business confidence is up,” Clark contends. “So we’re starting to see…people’s views of the economy begin to change and that is because the jobs message is resonating with people.”

“People know my government has a plan to try and create jobs and that we are executing on that plan now, and we have to do that,” she adds. “If we are going to weather the economic turmoil that’s out there right now, we are going to have to be prudent and we’re going to have to stick to our plan.”

The next provincial election is set for May 2013.