Nanos: Conservatives 7 points ahead of Liberals

The federal Conservatives gained a seven-point lead over the Liberals in the latest weekly ballot tracking conducted by Nanos Research.

Based on 1,084 random interviews conducted during the week ending Jan. 13, Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives would get 35.6 per cent of the vote if an election were held today, while the Liberals would get 28.3 per cent, the NDP 20.7 per cent and the Bloc 7.4 per cent. per cent, the Green Party 5.8 per cent and the People's Party 2.1 per cent.

The Conservative lead, which has been steadily increasing since December, is now outside the margin of error, and with the NDP increasing its share of the ballot, the Liberals are losing support on both sides.

Nanos Research founder Nik Nanos called the numbers "very bleak" for the Liberals.

"This is the worst way for the Liberals to start their year, because they're basically back and it looks like a significant number of Canadians are looking at the Conservatives," Nanos told host Michael Stittle on Wednesday.

"I think the Liberals have to worry about a double whammy, basically being crushed by the Conservatives on the one hand, the New Democrats on the other, and vote splitting that will work against the Liberals."

Nanos said that heading into the 2023 parliamentary season, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government could test its supply and confidence agreement with the NDP, as the Liberals look to forge health care funding deals with the provinces while balancing outstanding health commitments on dental and pharmacare as part of the parliamentary pact.