B.C. Conservative support collapsing, says Angus Reid poll

The latest Angus Reidsurvey shows B.C. Premier Christy Clark's Liberals have been winning back supporters from the Conservatives, but the opposition NDP still has a commanding lead in the polls.

The online survey of 800 B.C. voters found Conservative support was cut in half in just eight months, from a high of 23 per cent in March to just 12 per cent in Novembertheir lowest level of support in 18 months.

Some of that loss was picked up by the Liberals who rose from 23 to 29 per cent over the same period. It was the second month in a row that theLiberals had picked up support in the poll.

Meanwhile the NDP under Adrian Dix continues totop the polls with 47 per cent support, a rise of five percentage points since March. The Green Party rose slightly tonine per cent in the latest poll.

The results come as the leaders attempt to prepare their parties for the next B.C. election, scheduled for May 2013.

In recent months Clark has worked hard topromote her B.C. Jobs agenda, while Cummins has been battle infighting, resignations andattempts by his own party members to force him to step down.

Meanwhile Dix has managed topresent himself successfully as the premier-in-waiting.

Clark connecting with voters

Pollster Mario Canseco said the poll shows the B.C. Conservatives have been struggling to connect with voters while Clark is gaining support for her economic leadership.

"Premier Clark had trailed Opposition Leader Dix on this question for several months, and is now once again being seen as a capable economic manager," said Canseco.

"In the Interior, where[theConservatives]were in a close race to become the most popular centre-right alternative, they are now a distant third.

"The approval rating for Cummins is low, and voters who may have been disenchanted with the B.C. Liberals a few months ago, are no longer looking at the B.C. Conservatives as a viable option."

Cansecosays thekey tothe NDP's continued dominance of the polls is Dix's popularity.

"The NDP continues to hold the upper hand in British Columbias political scene, buoyed by an encouraging retention rate and the fact that roughly half of respondents are satisfied with the performance of its leader," he said.