Conservatives best party to deliver trustworthy government: election poll Monday, March 21, 2011

By Mark Kennedy, Postmedia News

OTTAWA — Canadians believe political honesty should trump economic recovery as the main issue in the next election but — in a major blow to the Liberals — voters rank the Tories as the best party to deliver a government they can trust.

Moreover, while the Liberals are hoping to make political ethics a main theme of the election, they are the last of the three main parties — ranking behind the NDP — that are trusted by Canadians in this area.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted March 11-15 exclusively for Postmedia News and Global National.

The results are a political bombshell, as MPs begin a historic week of intrigue on Parliament Hill that will be marked by major developments including a budget, an unprecedented vote on whether the government is in contempt of Parliament and a vote late in the week that could lead to the defeat of the government and a spring campaign that ends with a May 2 election.

In the poll, Canadians were given two choices for what they think is the most important issue in the election.

Sixty-three per cent said that “electing a party and leader that will provide honest, open and trustworthy government” is more important.

By comparison, 37 per cent believe that “electing a party and leader that will make sure that our economic recovery continues” is more important.

Those findings, on their surface, should be good news for the Liberals. But in an ironic twist, the very issue the Liberals are trumpeting could backfire on them in a campaign.

Here’s why:

• 28 per cent of Canadians believe the Conservatives, if re-elected, would do the best job of “providing honest, open and trustworthy government.”

• 22 per cent believe the NDP would do the best job of this.

• Just 15 per cent say the Liberals would be best at providing honest, open and trustworthy government.

• Seven per cent say the Bloc would be best.

• 29 per cent don’t endorse any of the major parties as best to deliver this type of government.

Ipsos Reid president Darrell Bricker said the poll shows the Liberals were right to identify the correct issue for the campaign, but apparently neglected to ensure it would be a political winner for them.

“You can see people want to have ethical government. They’re not wrong about that. What they (the Liberals) are wrong about is seeing themselves as the people who are capable of delivering it. The proof is not there for the public.”

Bricker said it appears the Liberals are still haunted by the sponsorship scandal, also known as “Adscam,” that blew up in the dying days of the Chretien government several years ago.

In the scandal, it was revealed that Liberal-friendly advertising firms in Quebec were receiving funds for work that was either questionable or non-existent. Furthermore, there was evidence of kickbacks in which firms that received government money contributed funds to the Liberal party.

The opposition Conservatives pounced on the scandal as proof the governing Liberals were corrupt and it ultimately led to the defeat of Paul Martin’s government in 2006.