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The departure of leading Conservative M.P. Belinda Stronach for the Liberal benches and a senior cabinet post may well have helped the Liberal government in Parliament. The cross-over likely buoyed morale among remaining Liberal voters. But the cross-over appears to have done nothing to stem Liberal losses to the Conservatives, who are now in the lead nationally.
A highly skeptical public views cynically the cross-over. As detailed below,
- few voters see the cross-over as motivated by the good of the country (16%); a plurality (39%; an apparent 44% in Ontario) see it as motivated by the opportunity of a cabinet post;
- at least as many voters say that they are more likely to vote Conservative as a result of the cross-over than more likely to vote Liberal (21% vs. 16%);
- asked whether Ms. Stronach’s riding should re-elect or defeat her, those advocating defeat edge out those advocating re-election (40% vs. 31%); and
- young voters (30 years and under), the segment to which she appealed strongly when running for the Conservative leadership, are generally more charitable in their feelings towards Ms. Stronach than older Canadians but they are no more persuaded to move Liberal by her cross-over than the public as a whole.
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