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June 28, 2003
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PC Delegates Survey-Orchard Faction as Socialistic Island in a Semi-Conservative Party
Companion to General Public Unite-the-Right Poll Report to Global TV and National Post
The Public vs. the Orchard Faction

COMPAS undertook two surveys on behalf of Global Television and the National Post in order to gauge attitudes towards the unite-the-right possibilities.

Reported in more detail in a companion document, the study of the public concludes that Canadians favour a joint PC-Alliance slate. Voters in general, PC voters from across the country, and PC voters in the seat-rich province of Ontario believe that newly elected Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay should renege on his commitment to leadership hopeful David Orchard not to run a single slate of federal candidates in conjunction with the Alliance party.

Strong majorities of both Tory and Alliance voters said that they would feel comfortable voting for candidates of the other party if their own party leader gave his blessing.

Delegates to the recent PC leadership convention feel somewhat differently. Support for the MacKay-Orchard agreement on not running a combined slate outweighs opposition. Support for the MacKay-Orchard agreement on reassessing the free trade agreement brought about by Tory Prime Minister Brian Mulroney also outweighs opposition. On the key question of whether the two apparently rightwing parties should run a common slate, opposition slightly outweighs support.

The preceding portrait of Tory convention delegates’ moderate opposition to a common slate overlays sharp left-right division among the delegates, as discussed in the full survey.
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