The next federal Conservative leader could face hurdles when it comes to attracting millennial and centrist voters, a new poll suggests. On Tuesday, Abacus Data released results of a survey that tested support for the two main opposition parties currently in the process of finding new leaders. The numbers may be of particular interest to Tories who will learn in just a few days who will lead them into the next election. While the poll suggests that the Conservatives’ so-called accessible voter pool — those who would consider voting for the party in 2019 — is about where it stood in Stephen Harper’s last year as party leader, there appears to be a glaring issue with younger voters.

Conservative Party leadership candidates Rick Peterson, Chris Alexander, Michael Chong, Lisa Raitt and Maxime Bernier greet each other at an event in Montreal on Feb. 13, 2017. (Photo: Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press) The poll suggests Tories currently trail Liberals by 16 percentage points among those aged 30-44 and a whopping 28 points among those under 30. The firm says that by 2019, millennial voters — those born between 1980 and 2000 — will represent the largest segment of the electorate. While Conservatives have typically boasted an advantage among older voters, Abacus Data notes the next election will mark the first time in over 40 years that “Boomers will not make up the largest portion of the electorate.”

The poll also suggests Tories would finish in third among voters at the centre of the political spectrum, a segment Abacus Data says represents about half of Canadian voters. Just 18 per cent of centrists support the Tories, compared to 22 per cent for New Democrats and 47 per cent for Liberals. Conservatives would, however, win the support of nearly 60 per cent of right-wing and centre-right voters.