OTTAWA, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives were ahead of their nearest rival by 10 percentage points, a poll published Wednesday indicated.
The Nanos Research poll of 1,209 adults gave the Conservatives 39 percent support, followed by the socialist New Democratic Party main opposition with 29 percent. The Liberals had 24.5 percent support, the Globe and Mail reported.
Pollster Nik Nanos told the newspaper he saw several factors in the Conservatives' growing support, particularly Harper's subtle shift in focus to job creation. In the run-up to the May 2 election that gave him a majority, Harper and his fellow Conservatives campaigned almost exclusively on economic recovery and balancing the budget. Since Parliament resumed in September, the party appears to have narrowed the focus to job creation.
Nanos said that appealed to Canadians, as the same poll showed job creation was their top concern at 31.9 percent. Healthcare dropped to 28.2 percent from 30.8 percent in a similar poll last month, the Globe said.
Nanos said another factor in increased support for Conservatives was the NDP and Liberals were both operating under interim leaders with leadership conventions scheduled in coming months. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff lost his seat in the May election and his party was decimated, while NDP leader Jack Layton died of cancer in August after leading his party to the unprecedented position as the main opposition party.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 and has a 2.9 percent margin of error, Nanos said.
