There’s the Bloc, and then there’s everyone else

Léger Marketing released the results of its latest poll into the political leanings of Quebecers yesterday. Here’s where the federal parties stand (the numbers in parentheses represent the change since Nov. 27):

Bloc: 40% (+3)

Liberals: 23% (+3)

Conservatives: 17% (-3)

NDP: 15% (-2)

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Whatever it is that’s ailing the Conservatives elsewhere (prorogation? Afghanistan? widespread grumpiness?) appears to be hurting them in Quebec as well, with their votes fleeing to the usual places—to Mononc’ Gilles and Professor Ignatieff. With no election on the horizon, it may not mean much. But the Liberals, Tories and NDP have to be hoping one of them can definitively pull ahead as the mainstay federalist option in the province to avoid splitting the vote and handing 55 seats over to the Bloc.

One of the things I like about Léger’s polls is the regional breakdown. Of course, the usual disclaimers about very small sample sizes apply, but here’s where everyone stands in Montreal/Quebec City/the rest of Quebec (i.e., les régions):

Bloc: 36 / 30 / 48 (-2 / +4 / +10)

Liberals: 27 / 14 / 20 (+4 / +2 / --)

Conservatives: 12 / 30 / 18 (-3 / -8 / -2)

NDP: 18 / 20 / 10 (+2 / +1 / -8)

A few things stand out:

-The NDP is considerably more popular than the Liberals in Quebec City. Huh.

-The Conservatives appear to have lost some ground everywhere, but are likely most worried about losing a good chunk of their base in and around Quebec City. They’re simply not competitive enough in Montreal to be able to afford that kind of collapse.

-The Liberals remain a force in Montreal. Of course, given the linguistic divide in the city, it’s hard to imagine this not being the case. But it’s still noteworthy.

-Whatever support bled out from the Bloc to the Tories and the NDP, especially in the rural areas, appears to have gone back to Duceppe and the gang.