As the federal NDP grapples with its future, a new poll by EKOS Research suggests 68 per cent of Canadians across the political spectrum do see a role for the party in the country’s political landscape.

The NDP lost its official opposition status in the fall election and sank back to third place despite an early lead in the polls.

At its convention in Edmonton earlier this month — where 52 per cent of delegates voted to replace leader Tom Mulcair — the more leftist elements of the party succeeded in securing a two-year debate on the controversial Leap Manifesto, a 1,300-word document whose call for a rapid halt to fossil fuel development has divided the federal and Alberta wings of the party.

In the new poll, EKOS asked 1,176 adult Canadians whether they think there is still a role for the NDP in Canadian politics, and the results indicate that among supporters of all five political parties, there is a consensus that the party still has an important role to play – but not necessarily on what that role is.

According to the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20, 54 per cent of those surveyed who identified as Conservative supporters see an important role for the NDP compared to 78 per cent of Liberals, 83 per cent of Green voters and 95 per cent of Bloc voters.

Among NDP supporters surveyed, 81 per cent say their party still has an important role to play.

The poll was conducted on April 14 and 15, 2016.

The Leap Manifesto, generated by a group of social activists and most prominently backed by married contributors bestselling author Naomi Klein and documentary producer Avi Lewis, proposes weaning Canada off fossil fuels by 2050, letting communities rather than companies control energy sources, cutting military spending, jacking taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and ending trade deals that “Interfere with our attempts to rebuild local economies, regulate corporations and stop damaging extractive projects.”

The manifesto has been panned by many as too radical, with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna calling it “not helpful,” and the EKOS survey indicates Canadians may be split on their assessment of the document.

Just over half, or 56 per cent, of respondents say they are aware or vaguely aware of the manifesto but when asked whether they support the document, 40 per cent say no and 40 per cent say yes.

Another nineteen per cent say they neither support nor oppose it.

When the data are broken down along party lines, 67 per cent of Conservative supporters say they do not support the document while 50 per cent of Liberals say they support it, 59 per cent of Green voters do, and 54 per cent of NDP voters.

Forty-six per cent of Bloc voters said they support the document.