A new poll shows low support for the Liberals among religious voters, including two groups they've traditionally counted on — Muslims and Jews
Foreign affairs usually don’t play a role when it comes to voting in Canadian federal elections. But the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is having an effect on religious voters in this country. That’s the finding of a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute that shows low support for the federal Liberal party among all religious groups, including two groups they have traditionally counted on — Muslims and Jews.
The poll, which was released in mid-May, shows
41 per cent of Muslims support the NDP, 31 per cent support the Liberals and 15 per cent support the Conservatives. By contrast, in a 2016 Environics Institute poll, 65 per cent of Muslims reported voting for the Liberals in the 2015 election, 10 per cent voted for the NDP and just two per cent supported the Conservatives.
Jewish support for Liberals is also low, with 42 per cent supporting the Conservatives compared to 33 per cent for the Liberals. Liberals have traditionally performed well in federal ridings with significant Jewish populations, the Angus Reid article notes.
forty-five per cent of Roman Catholics prefer the Conservatives, 24 per cent the Liberals and 16 per cent are for the NDP.
Among mainline Protestants, 58 per cent are for the Conservatives, 25 per cent for the Liberals and 11 per cent are NDP.
Seventy-nine per cent of evangelicals would vote Conservative, five per cent for the Liberals and 14 per cent NDP.
-Fifty-three per cent of Hindus would vote Conservative, 22 per cent support the Liberals and 18 per cent the NDP.
For Sikhs, 54 per cent are Conservative, 21 per cent Liberal and 20 per cent NDP.
I don't think you can blame Gaza for this, the Liberals have spent the least eight years sitting so hard on the fence on every issue that they're unappealing to everyone.
What's the express: "stand for nothing, fall for eveything?" Well, in this case it's "stand for nothing, fall in the polls".
Gaza is just the latest thing the Liberals aggressively tried to not take a stand on either way in hopes they could "lead from behind", but it's kind of hard to drum up support when you don't support anything.
(not that CPC is much better; they're neoliberal tools, too, but instead of french vanilla milquetoast flavour, they've got a dusting of spicy protofascism)