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The Conservative party is trailing or tied in around a dozen hotly contested ridings – including several with Tory incumbents – and is in tough to retain Joe Oliver’s Toronto seat, according to a poll released by a third-party interest group working to defeat Conservatives.

A new Environics Research poll of 7,573 eligible voters, commissioned by Leadnow, says Conservative support has, combined, dropped 14 percentage points across 13 different swing ridings, compared to 2011 election results.

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The Conservatives are supported by 31 per cent of decided voters, combined, in the 13 ridings, compared to 45 per cent support in the 2011 election, the poll says.

Of those 13 ridings spread across Canada, the Conservatives lead in one riding and are tied with the Liberals in two others. The New Democratic Party leads in five of the 13 ridings and the Liberals in three of them.

Leadnow calls itself an independent advocacy organization and is working to build blocks of voters in ridings across Canada who will vote together to defeat Conservative candidates. The group is calling for action on environment, democracy and the economy.

In Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s Eglinton-Lawrence riding, the Conservatives and Liberals are effectively tied, according to the poll. The Tories are backed by 33 per cent of all respondents in the riding, the Liberals 32 per cent and the NDP 23 per cent, with four per cent supporting the Greens and eight per cent undecided.

Among decided voters in Eglinton-Lawrence, the Conservatives are at 36 per cent, Liberals 35 per cent, NDP 25 per cent and Greens at four per cent.