Compas Poll / Survey

Business leaders favour a Conservative majority government as having the most positive effect on the economy. Among the four choices of Liberal or Conservative Majority or Minority Governments, both minority governments are seen as undesirable for the economy, with a Liberal minority government viewed as having the most negative effect. Over half (54%) of respondents say that a Conservative majority would positively affect the economy while 44% say a Liberal minority would negatively impact the economy.

With respect to the debate, Harper earned high scores for his performance. Twice as many respondents in this business panel say they became more favourable to Harper as a result of the debate as opposed to Martin. Martin’s performance during the debate appears to have been most affected by the issue of the sponsorship scandal. Three in ten respondents say that the sponsorship scandal was the issue that most affected their feelings about the leaders.

These are the key findings of this week’s web survey of Canadian business leaders, conducted under the sponsorship of the BDO Dunwoody and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for publication in the Financial Post.