Conservatives weak in key areas in new poll

[tuvor]

OTTAWA -- Support for the Conservative government is slipping in crucial battlegrounds, according to a new poll which is likely to help dampen speculation of a snap election later this year.

The Decima poll -- released to the Canadian Press late on Thursday -- put public support for the Conservatives at 36 percent, compared to 30 percent for the opposition Liberals and 17 percent for the left-leaning New Democrats.

The figures are virtually identical to the result of the January 23 election, which handed a fragile minority mandate to the Conservatives after more than 12 years of Liberal rule.

They also show support for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party has slipped from 41 percent in April, a figure that could have won him a majority government under Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b552a3b5-613e-4836-86e9-a7e06697c5e1&k=58808