OTTAWA — Stephen Harper may be closing in on his coveted majority despite being plagued by a series of miscues and bad news during the first week of the federal election campaign.
A new poll suggests the Conservatives have opened up a commanding 15-point lead over the Liberals, with 41 per cent of respondents supporting the governing party.
Typically, 40 per cent is sufficient to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons.
According to The Canadian Press-Harris Decima survey, the Liberals stood at 26 per cent, the NDP at 14 per cent, the Greens at nine and the Bloc Quebecois at eight.
The poll suggests the Tories have gained ground among key voter groups that have eluded them in the past, and in every region of the country. They took a seven-point lead in Ontario, a 10-point lead in urban centres and a 13-point-lead among women.
In Quebec, the Bloc remained in the lead but the Conservatives moved up into a competitive second place with the Liberals falling to a distant third.
"The Conservative momentum has been remarkable," said Harris Decima president Bruce Anderson.
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