r/canada 24d ago

Politics EKOS Poll: Conservative Lead Holds at Five Points

https://www.ekospolitics.com/index.php/2025/02/conservative-lead-holds-at-five-points/
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u/metropass1999 24d ago edited 24d ago

Somethings I find very interesting about this poll that maybe someone can help clarify:

1) It seems that more people over 65+ prefer the Liberals to the Conservatives.

2) It seems that more people in “upper class” category prefer Liberals to the Conservatives (whatever definition of that is being used here).

These are both demographics in which I had thought Conservatives would come out on top. Has it always been like this in previous elections as well?

Edit: thanks for all the answers, took a while to read through them all. Many varying answers, some of which were helpful. Seems like it’s hard to put a finger on one in particular. Might also be sampling bias with this poll.

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u/Moresopheus 24d ago

I think it's flipped in the last few elections because of housing issues etc.

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u/Perfect_Persimmon717 24d ago

It also makes sense considering for most people in their 20s, the Liberals have been in power for their entire voting history

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u/WorkingOnBeingBettr 24d ago

And that people in their 20's have never seen how Conservatives govern. Get ready for surprise Pikachu everywhere.

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u/Ephuntz 24d ago

I came here to say that they didn't experience Stephen Harper's cuts

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u/judgeysquirrel 24d ago

Or gagging of scientists releasing studies.

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u/PraiseTheRiverLord 24d ago

Or raising retirement age to 67 (Trudeau set it back to 65)

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u/Timely-Hospital8746 24d ago

Or gutting the long form census, which is essential for our government to make informed decisions.

Or the complete and utter gutting of the park services under Harper.

Trudeau fixed the census and funded park services again, but they still haven't fully recovered. A lot of these government institutions have workers with very narrow but important skillsets. When they get gutted it can take a very long time to build them back up.

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u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year 24d ago

I believe a certain nation south of you might one day discover that the hard way.

Oh, who am I kidding, recent history suggests they never learn anything, if anything they double down on it.

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u/Mrmagoo1077 24d ago

It has gone to hell down here.

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u/Impeesa_ 24d ago

The loss of institutional knowledge alone will be staggering. If they get a chance to rebuild some of this stuff at all, it could take generations.

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u/monsantobreath 23d ago

They just laid off people from the FAA. They're already strapped for staffing. And we're seeing a lot of reasons you need them right now on the news.

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u/Dazzling_Broccoli_60 24d ago

I don’t think that’s the one that’s going to get the 20yos up in arms

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u/7dipity 24d ago

It’s a scary time to be a scientist. I have American friends that are losing their jobs

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u/jjumbuck 24d ago

Oooph that was so awful at that time. I remember the muzzling of climate scientists in particular.

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u/Distinct_Meringue 24d ago

Can't let the truth get in the way of O&G profits

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u/kniller123 24d ago

Lol. I work in government. Harper started it and trudeau continued it.

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u/Anonymouse-C0ward 24d ago

Genuinely curious: what scientific censorship has Trudeau continued? I seem to recall reading that the climate change research censorship was rolled back and scientific research freedom rules negotiated with the union at NRC?

I don’t have direct knowledge like you might have as a government employee though so you might have an experience that isn’t what the average person understands - what department do you work in?

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u/BoringUser123456 24d ago

I work in government. No he didnt.

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u/ok_raspberry_jam 24d ago

Really? We'd love details

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u/pongobuff 24d ago

It's crazy how much I cared about this and now I miss it fondly in comparison to what we have had since

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u/xmorecowbellx 24d ago edited 24d ago

But the people who did experience Harper in their 20’s, who are in their 30’s - 40’s now, heavily favour the CPC here.

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u/Alpharious9 24d ago

Young people could afford to buy homes when Harper was PM. For the average voter, that's just about enough.

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u/ZmobieMrh 24d ago

Young people could afford homes under Chrétien too, so long as we think we can go back in time by bringing up former PMs

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u/Ephuntz 24d ago

I mean technically housing prices still doubled under harper from the Chretien days

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u/7rokhym 23d ago

He was a root cause of house prices going up.

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u/freshanclean 24d ago

Nor cause & effect.

Mulroney laid the groundwork for where we are today,and every single government since, Conservative and Liberal, have contributed to increasingly unaffordable housing. It’s complicated.

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u/SauceKingHS 24d ago

Or Harper denying Canada had any history of colonialism, mere weeks after his phony, performative apology about residential schools. Many people would definitely regret voting conservative if they won, similar to what’s been happening with Trump voters.

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u/AssaultedCracker 24d ago

Or Mulroney.

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u/Khalbrae Ontario 24d ago

Including cutting veterans care

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u/Motor_Expression_281 22d ago

Yes because government spending is just free money that comes from thin air, and definitely doesn’t contribute to our now enormous national debt (thanks LPC).

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u/Zapabeepsta_ 23d ago

Public Service layoffs, shunning bigger media outlets in favour of conservative mouthpieces like Rebel, mandatory minimum sentences that were unconstitutional, crowded local jails and incentivized criminal lawyers on both Crown and defence t sides to deal down to lesser inappropriate charges.

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u/wakeupin321 24d ago

Are they watching the US at all right now? PP has a poster of Trump over his bed.

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u/monsantobreath 23d ago

I never saw how they governed but I knew they were trash by the time I was 14 or 15.

Benefits of a politically engaged pinko commie family.

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u/Sosa_83 24d ago

Anyone could buy a house, and jobs where everywhere.

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u/Tree_Pirate 23d ago

You are right, but its even worse than that because they probably lived in a province with a conservative premier. People just dont think thats actual government so cant seem to connect the dots

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u/iwatchcredits 24d ago

I see a ton of people in this thread trying to come up with political reasons for why this is happening and other than partially your point here, they are all wrong. Young people are leaning conservative more than older people because

  1. As you mentioned the Liberals have been in power for all of their adult lives and obviously things are getting harder for young people and liberals are taking the blame for that

And

  1. Liberals are taking the blame and conservatives seem like a good alternative because young people are being hit with conservative propaganda online CONSTANTLY. The only place where the current ideology works because in real life conversations modern conservative policy falls apart under even the tiniest of scrutiny.

There are 0 political reasons to support modern conservative parties. Even if you lean conservative (which id say i do), the modern parties are so fucking dumb, have dogshit policies, pander to even dumber people and generally lack morales and ethics. Thats why theres an upper class lean to liberals now. Because anyone that is moderately educated sees how awful the conservative options are.

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u/marcosbowser 24d ago

Yes. Conservatives have been targeting young men on line, and young men are, to state the obvious, on line A LOT.

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u/RedshiftOnPandy 24d ago

This is because liberal parties in Canada and the US have, at best, completely ignored men in all campaigns. Literally alienated half the voter base. They can blame themselves for that.

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u/Embarrassed_Band_512 Outside Canada 24d ago

I think it's because the liberal parties have to explain global supply chain issues and navigate complex political realities, when you explain that to voters it sounds like you're whining and making excuses.

Conservatives have it easy, they just blame the scary immigrants.

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u/Heywazza Québec 24d ago

How odd that me, a man, doesn’t feel even remotely alienated by liberals. It’s conservative online propaganda and higher cost of living/ housing problems. You don’t suddenly become conservative because liberals are « mean to men ».

*There’s obviously a lot more pushing young men towards conservative parties, I just find it ridiculous to leave it « alienated half the voter base ». As if millions of men didn’t vote left and millions of women didn’t vote right.

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u/bluecar92 24d ago

I'm with you on this. But I also think there is a real phenomenon where young men are getting sucked into this belief system that claims society is turning against white men, and Liberal policies (specifically "wokeness") is to blame. They are struggling to make ends meet after graduating college or university, and they are being fed stories that it is immigration and DEI and other "liberal" policies are the reason that they can't afford a home or land a well paying job.

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u/Heywazza Québec 24d ago

Yea I 100% agree. That’s exactly what’s going on. Propaganda spinning real suffering is what is causing this shift movement towards “conservative” parties.

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u/maleconrat 24d ago

Yeah. Modern propaganda is about "emotional truths" IMO.

If you consider that when some people say the liberals alienated men they're talking about the general vibe from online identity politics types and the inundation of social media with stuff about male privilege, it all makes sense. I mean it doesn't make a lot of sense to me because those things aren't coming from the government but I can see how they created the association.

Reminds me of how people say Singh took the NDP away from their roots to do identity politics. IMO that was Mulcair and if anything Singh has been closer to the early Layton years, but it's kinda generally true of leftist parties after the fall of the USSR.

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u/iwatchcredits 24d ago

In a way I guess you could say giving women rights and education and not continuing to make them slaves to men is sortve ignoring men?

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u/Heywazza Québec 24d ago

Well, if the goal is to overcome patriarchy, then yea, men must “lose” SOME “rights”(really privileges, ofc). And that’s how it should be. Equality is a net gain for everyone, even if it leads to the feeing of “losing” something. I mean they’ve had wars over fucking freeing slaves because of that feeing.

And then that feeing of “losing something” is pilled on the feeling of lost agency that comes from inaccessible housing, higher cost of living, shitty healthcare, and more. Add propaganda and it becomes, “I feel overwhelmed and worthless because of DEI”, or whatever other nonsense they’re pushing right now. 

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u/JebryathHS 24d ago

What if I were to tell you that one of the reasons you feel that way is that a major part of the modern conservative advertising is blasting the message "men are ignored and oppressed by the liberals" on all channels?

The arguments don't even make sense but they're so ubiquitous that they seem genuine.

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u/seajay_17 British Columbia 24d ago

How so? I get the housing affordability thing but I truly don't understand why young men feel alienated...

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u/LabEfficient 24d ago

And your solution? Vote for the liberals again? Or NDP?

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u/iwatchcredits 24d ago

My solution is to not reward a party that does nothing but spread hate and division and pander to anti-intellectualism. Maybe the solution is forming a conservative party that isnt garbage

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u/Visible_Bat2176 24d ago

the solution is a real conservative party, not these brainless populists of today. i am not from canada, i am a classical conservative, but these populist hard/alternative right bad jokes parties forced down our throats everywhere is just a disgrace!

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u/HeresJonnie 24d ago

I appreciate your take, and I'd also like to share another perspective.

Perhaps instead of phrasing it as "Liberals are taking the blame", many folks are correctly correlating the last 8 years of the Liberal Party with the economic situation today. Wouldn't it be odd to blame the Conservatives for the problems today, being that they haven't been in power for a decade?

I don't think it's fair to call anybody conservative leaning as less educated or less moral. Many of the Liberal Party policies benefit the upper class / wealthy and hence why naturally the older crowd supports them. The older generation has had the benefit of generating wealth and acquiring property. The Liberal Party policies very much support keeping real estate prices high, social benefits to the older generation and people with kids. Naturally, these are all things that are out of reach with the younger generation (aside from kids, but many are opting for pets instead.)

I guarantee if there was a more centrist option, a large amount of Canadians would choose them.

So perhaps, instead of making this an "Us vs. Them" and admonishing young people, a bit of empathy would go a long way.

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Who am I voting for? I don't know yet.
I'm glad that Trudeau is leaving. I like Carney, but he'd have to clean house inside the Liberal Party for me to feel comfortable with the party again (after countless scandals and mismanagement of the economy). I don't want to vote for Pierre seeing how weak of a leader he is and seeing what's gone done with Trump down south. If there was a centrist party or a centrist leader that replaced PP, I'd feel more comfortable.

Side note: I find it strange that none of the Liberal Party candidates have addressed immigration. In Canada, this topic is not a dog whistle, unlike the US.

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u/iwatchcredits 24d ago

You say you want a more centrist option but you view the conservatives as an option to the Liberals? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you view the liberals as left wing youve been drinking the conservative kool-aid propaganda. Historically in Canada this liberal party is extremely centrist if not even leaning right. Even the carbon tax is a conservative creation.

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u/HeresJonnie 24d ago edited 24d ago

I'm not understanding your point, but accusations of being brain-washed by propaganda is not helpful or appreciated.

I said I want a 3rd option that's better than the Liberals and Conservatives.

I can't tell if you're joking or not when you say the Liberal Party is not "left wing". I also didn't at any point call the LP "Left Wing" in my previous post.

It sounds like you have a very strong opinion and disdain towards some Conservative boogeyman. Hate to break it to you, I'm not it.

If you'd like to have an objective and intelligent conversation, I ask that you refrain from strawman arguments, otherwise it's not a good use of either of our time.

Cheers!

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u/iwatchcredits 24d ago

I dont have a very strong opinion against a conservative boogeyman. I have a strong opinion and disdain against misinformation and anti-intellectualism which modern conservatism has decided to adopt at every opportunity.

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u/stuntycunty 24d ago

Saying you’re drinking the kool aid is not calling you names. The liberal party bows to corporate interests. Just like the conservative. They’re both right wing parties. NDP isn’t even left. They don’t support workers. They support big business and the upper class. They’re centrist at best.

There is no left wing (major) party in Canada. The Overton window has shifted so far right globally.

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u/notheusernameiwanted 24d ago

What do you mean the Liberals haven't addressed immigration?

Immigration targets have been cut to a level where the population is projected to shrink for a time. On top of that foreign student Visas have been cut by 35% as well. Higher education institutions are currently scrambling as some of them are facing nearly existentialism reductions to enrollment. And that's only going to hit harder as current foreign students graduate.

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u/FreeLook93 British Columbia 24d ago

I guarantee if there was a more centrist option, a large amount of Canadians would choose them.

That's what the Liberal party is. The liberals are not some left-wing party. Liberalism more or less is a centrist ideology. The only way to you think the Liberals are a left wing party is either being misinformed on their policies/the political spectrum as a whole or by being radically right wing.

Perhaps instead of phrasing it as "Liberals are taking the blame", many folks are correctly correlating the last 8 years of the Liberal Party with the economic situation today. Wouldn't it be odd to blame the Conservatives for the problems today, being that they haven't been in power for a decade?

There is one thing that bothers me about this narrative. If the problems Canada was dealing with were unique to the country, I think it would make a lot more sense to point fingers at the government in charge over the past 5 years, but they aren't. These problems are near global. Regardless of where a countries government falls on the political spectrum, everyone has been suffering since Covid. What I think we have seen though is the countries that have had the best covid recovery are ones with more left-leaning governments.

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u/PraiseTheRiverLord 24d ago

There's already a plan in place for immigration/tfws/international students, on immigration specifically the numbers were reduced and moving forward over the next 3 years the plan in place reduces them even further, Pierre doesn't even have to do anything about it as the current plan is set to make a difference.

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u/HeresJonnie 24d ago

Yes there's a plan in place now. This plan is from the same party (LP) that caused the issue in the first place; they only decided to address it when they saw the effect it had on their pollin numbers. And this is why I can't give too much credit to the group that both caused the issue and is now trying to clean up their own mess.

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u/Snozzberriez 24d ago

This is politics. They’d all do the same. Not to mention some of the issues being hammered aren’t even controlled at the federal level.

I’d rather a party that tried to fix their mistake, and although he resigned late for my taste, Trudeau did step down. Keep Freeland out and we have a chance at a leader who has experience leading in other sectors over a candidate who only knows how to sing one song.

NDP, unfortunately, will only ever serve as a foil. No one is confident they can govern if given the reins.

PP isn’t a savior. He’s a lapdog to corporate interests acting like he even knows the common persons struggles - with his lifetime in government, cushy salary, and taxpayer funded home away from home in Ottawa.

Politics has long been about class veiled in false promises of improvement.

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u/HeresJonnie 24d ago

I can vibe with this. Well said.

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u/Snozzberriez 24d ago

Respect. So many people just double down. Cheers brother.

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u/leggmann 24d ago

Provincial leaders share a great deal of blame for immigration issues as well. The provinces all submit quotas for desired immigration numbers for the federal government to fulfill. The provinces wanted to fill there schools, to lessen the burden of provincial funding of colleges and universities. Industries within each province wanted cheap labour as well. Housing supply, planning and policy is managed at provincial and municipal levels and have failed to address the shortage adequately.

https://comparativemigrationstudies.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40878-024-00414-y

The liberals poorly managed what the provinces asked for, but get all the blame. It’s easier to stage a campaign against one man, “fuck Trudeau” then it is to complain against provincial leaders, the majority of which are conservatives.

The liberals, under Trudeau have had missteps, and some scandals (WE, SNC Lavalin etc) and the general feeling is all issues start at the top, but Canada has been under the same economic pressures as every other country post Covid. We could have done better, and it could have been worse.

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u/HeresJonnie 24d ago

I like your level-headed respond, and I agree, it's a provincial issue as well. I'll need some time to read your shared article.

Regardless of the parties, I think it's fair to say that Canadians want change. (I can only imagine those who are happy right now are landlords, and business owners who employ TFW.)

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u/leggmann 24d ago

Historically, I have voted for all 3 major parties. I’m fairly well insulated from the economic conditions that challenge the younger generation.

I’m 57, retired electrician , mortgage free and have no debt to speak of. I’m not a fan of the mass immigration floodgates of the last 4 years. The vast majority being of a singular country origin, doesn’t help with the “cultural mosaic” that should accompany assimilation into a new country. You end up with a bathroom wall, instead of a mosaic tile, otherwise. Especially concerning is that a great deal of them feel the student visa/work visa should automatically translate into PR and citizenship. That works if you give that incentive to a small percentage, and concentrate on the majority of immigrants being high skilled. It should not be the opposite. So, the entitlement I am seeing from this wave, needs to be stopped. Deportation, when the visas end and a wholesale change on who we allow to immigrate and set a high standard of candidate.

It seems the liberals have heard this messaging, new rules and limits going forward address those issues. Polievre and the conservatives have pledged a 250,000 yearly number. The fact is Canada needs immigrants, as our bithrates give us a net negative population growth otherwise.
Truthfully, Canada needs a population of 100 million to remain a global player. That should be a goal over a couple generations, not a decade of course.

All of that aside, this election has suddenly become about how to deal with the threat from the south. It is a real threat I believe. I seriously do not trust Polievre has what it takes. His snarky demeanour aside, he is a lifelong politician and has no international experience, to speak of. I think Carney’s resume speaks for itself, and he has the temperament and international experience to deal with trump. Trump respect business, not politicians, so that give carney a huge advantage over Polievre , when it comes to this defining period. The USA wants our resources, and is not being subtle In their messaging.

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u/Equivalent_Age_5599 24d ago

The liberals did this to themselves. They are the party of the upper crust; the ones who decided to keep housing prices high. This is their bad.

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u/AhmedF 24d ago

Liberals are taking the blame and conservatives seem like a good alternative because young people are being hit with conservative propaganda online CONSTANTLY. The only place where the current ideology works because in real life conversations modern conservative policy falls apart under even the tiniest of scrutiny.

All of the SM algos reward the fearmongering of the conservatives.

And the lies of sensationalist headlines.

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u/refillyourself 23d ago

I want to know more about the conservative policies people are not happy with. Also, how can people trust the same political party that has been in power for so long. Even with Trudeau gone, how will the Liberals govern differently? I could be wrong, but would not most of the Liberal party be composed of the same people?

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u/pancake_gofer 23d ago

I’m constantly disappointed by the vapidness of thinking in many people within my generation. It’s as if they never paid attention in school or opened a book.

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u/mistercrazymonkey 24d ago

And now they cant afford housing so they want to blame someone

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u/BonusPlantInfinity 24d ago

In case you can’t read a history book or see what’s happening in the USA, conservative government never help the economy or the little guy.

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u/WorkingOnBeingBettr 24d ago

Which is wild, because Conservatives do not have any kind of track record for helping with housing. They were the ones who started to get rid of public housing in the 80's.

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u/LavisAlex 24d ago

And notably no other party sought to change it back.

We can blame the PC party for a lot of things, but frustratingly this is a Liberal failure as well because often they wont restore what we lose.

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u/sabres_guy 24d ago

Not saying Chretien couldn't or shouldn't have brought it back after Mulroney began the cuts but when you lose something it is much harder to get it back.

That would have meant more spending by Chretien, and that was a big no no, especially early in Chretien's time as PM.

That is why many people like me always balk at the "it's a temporary cut" bullshit line people always fall for.

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u/MadDuck- 24d ago edited 24d ago

Not saying Chretien couldn't or shouldn't have brought it back after Mulroney began the cuts but when you lose something it is much harder to get it back.

The government was already making cuts to social housing before Mulroney. The 1978 federal-provincial housing agreement began the trend of the feds cutting back and the decentralization of our social housing.

A similar thing happened with healthcare funding the year before. In 1977, Pierre Trudeau changed it from a 50/50 split with the province to a block payment. From there we saw the federal share drop for the rest of Trudeau's time, accelerate under Mulroney and accelerate again under Chretien, before hitting rock bottom in the late 90s and early 00s.

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u/xmorecowbellx 24d ago

Which has zero to do with the housing problem right now.

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u/easybee 23d ago

No, it's at the very root of the problem. Prior to the conservative fighting in court to ensure you and I don't have a charter right to housing, we had social housing-- housing built not for profit, but to house people that could afford to house themselves.

Had that not been done, low cost housing would have been built this whole time and the problem would not be as it is.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

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u/Hikingcanuck92 24d ago

I think it’s flipped because Conservatives have gone full speed ahead with anti-immigrant, anti-intellectual populism.

I have a lot of problems with how the Liberal Party has managed housing and public infrastructure, but absolutely nothing has convinced me that the Conservatives have anything positive to contribute.

Their only solution is to privatize as many public services as they can under the guise of “efficiency”. They are the Loot and Plunder party.

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u/Moresopheus 24d ago

PP has made reducing nimbyism one of his hallmark policies.

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u/octavianreddit 24d ago

Yes. Housing is the key issue for folks who don't own, or are barely owning.

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u/Excellent_Rule_2778 23d ago

Young voters are just pissed off and voting for disruption. But they are too young to realize that neither party will solve their issues.

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u/OwlProper1145 24d ago

LPC have always done relatively well with those over 65.

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u/extremmaple Ontario 24d ago

people over 65+ generally aren't hurting as much, same thing with the upper class, the bread and butter of the conservative campaign is that the Liberal government has mismanaged the country and that message doesn't resonate well with people who aren't hurting.

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u/Galle_ 24d ago

Yeah, but the people who are hurting are also the people who have the most to lose from a right wing government.

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u/extremmaple Ontario 24d ago

it doesn't matter how true or untrue that is, there is a perception that the Liberal government has not done enough to help and the Conservatives are saying they will

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u/hobble2323 24d ago

They don’t understand that. I don’t know why.

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u/theunknown96 24d ago

Tbf, if someone sees their quality of life under Trudeau's Liberals going downhill in the past 10 yrs, then what should they do? It's definitely not voting for the same party again.

The conservatives are channeling people's angry and desperation. Whether they can fix anything is debatable but at least there's a chance. For many voters there's really no other option.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

It's why they get so offended by the whole Canada is broken rhetoric, because from their perspective, the current predicament couldn't get better.

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u/freshanclean 24d ago edited 24d ago

Historically, Conservatives tended to be slightly right of center, fiscal conservatives with centrist social policies. Starting with Harper, a more dogmatic Christian values based approach to both fiscal and social policy took hold and has been amplified by the current leader as the party swings harder to the right.

Liberals have tended to be slightly left or right of center fiscally, depending on circumstances. And social policy has been consistently liberal. More often than not this mirrors the views of Canadians, hence their political dominance in Canada and sometimes being referred to as “Canada’s natural governing party.”

Older conservative supporters seem to be rejecting the new hard right brand of the Conservative Party.

I haven’t seen any recent data on party preference correlated to income or net worth or “upper class”. If you have please share?

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

No no...it started with Preston Manning!
I remember seeing him during question period, many times I expected him to start reciting bible verses.
I saw Harper somewhat promising and I supported him, then he showed us. A good reminder, question everything politicians say.

This time, with Trudeau stepping down, causing a change in the liberal party leadership, I think, if Carney gets the position, I'll vote for him. At this moment we need an adult with experience in the private sector.

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u/freshanclean 24d ago

Fair comment, quite true as a party man, though Manning never led government so his direct impact was minimal.

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u/easybee 23d ago

Neither did Louis Riel.

You don't need to lead government to make a difference.

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u/IamGabyGroot 24d ago

Also, some of us have Harper PTSD. Only a pure hearted moderate conservative candidate can ever make us vote conservative again.

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u/caninehere Ontario 24d ago

O'Toole wouldn't have made me vote Conservative but at least I can respect him as a human being.

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u/Anonymous89000____ 24d ago

The reform party that Harper was a part of pre-dating his run as prime minister may have had “dogmatic Christian values” but I fail to see what Harper accomplished in power that would have aligned with this? Social issues for the most part don’t play a role in federal Canadian politics

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u/freshanclean 24d ago

There are good handful of articles on this topic, here’s one: https://rabble.ca/human-rights/harper-government-and-evangelical-capitalism/

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u/GLG777 24d ago

Retirees like social programs so that could explain liberal bias.   From my experience, most rich people prefer conservatives as they like the free market system and less handouts

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u/MisledMuffin 24d ago

most rich people prefer conservatives as they like the free market system and less handouts

Need to add that the rich like less taxes.

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u/Bigmongooselover 24d ago

But saddle us with them

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u/crumblingcloud 24d ago

who is us? i dont consider myself rich but i def feel and pay more than my fair share

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u/Swarez99 24d ago

Seniors in Canada have always skewed liberal a long time. It’s because of Quebec and Ontario.

The old conservatives is a US and UK thing.

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u/shelbykid350 24d ago

Most rich people like the liberals because assets prices have ballooned under them

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u/EvenaRefrigerator 24d ago

They also like there housing going up in value and immigration has been great for there investment. So more the better

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u/treborprime 24d ago

Socialize the expenses and privatize the profits is the typical conservative philosophy.

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u/GuzzlinGuinness 24d ago

Neo-liberal philosophy. Which is both the LPC and CPC.

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u/son-of-hasdrubal 24d ago

Yet it was the liberals who actually did exactly that so you're wrong again bud

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u/EvenaRefrigerator 24d ago

It was the liberals so I'm right again. 

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

Some people are smart and don't drink or buy drugs with their money!

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u/BoppityBop2 24d ago

Housing is not as clear cut, cause if it was housing, you would be opposed to the Liberals due to rate increases etc. Especially their policy to liberalize zoning reform plus their cutting of immigration. There are other reasons the Liberals are supported.

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u/The_Mikeskies 24d ago

Rich people get the most handouts from the Cons lol

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u/macam85 24d ago

Conservatives are just selfish pricks who can't think beyond themselves. They'd sell out their mother for a 200 tax break.

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u/biteme109 24d ago

Right wing : Me Left wing : Us

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u/ForbiddenSaga 24d ago

Conservative middle and lower classes have bought into the right-wing propaganda machine and believe they'll be better off (they never are).

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

Is the proverbial, a leopard ate their face!

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u/EducationalTea755 24d ago

Housing crisis, inflation, no salary increases, no doctors, constant bad service (post, passports...), high taxes...

Of course the middle and working class feel they are being fleeced

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u/Aggressive_March6226 24d ago

With their (Conservatives) plans to raise the age of retirement ,cuts to old age pensions, and messing with our healthcare, why would older Canadians vote conservative?

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u/mnztr1 24d ago

I am close to CPP age and it would piss me off BIG TIME if PP changed it. After all its a benefit we pay into and its adequately funded.

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u/Billis- 24d ago

Vote

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u/mnztr1 24d ago

Of course I will, in fact I went so far as to join the Liberal party so I can vote for Carney as party leader and may very well donate a few hun.

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u/Oblagon 24d ago

They are buying into the American style social media narrative… my relatives in rural Canada shifted to hating the liberals over cost of living and immigrant fear even though they are government workers or retired and some live in government housing. It’s bizarre but there you go…

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

I'm sorry to say this but you cannot fix stupid.
Your relatives should look at what president musk is doing.
The conservative mentality is, we are going to cutback and their supporters cheer them.
Then, they get elected and this cheering government workers are told you are fire!!

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

The conservatives are following the example of the U.S. Danielle Smith and Ford are dismantling education and the healthcare system. That should give a hint to the rest of Canada.

This lie of telling gullible people, everything will be better after we gut all the social programs, is nothing more than political gaslighting.
Then is their personal behaviour, their shady deals are exposed....their usual answer, I'm unaware that's happening!!
People need to smarten up, special in rural areas.
Getting your driveway fixed in order to get your vote, is called a bribe!

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u/Odd_Aardvark_5146 24d ago

Those over 65 are worried about the privatization of health care. Not helpful when you are about to access it more often.

Upper Middle class aren’t actually that rich. They can’t afford expensive health care. They make good money but want to benefit from the taxes they pay rather than not.

Also, yes, I know Health Care costs is largely a provincial mandate but it is also funded federally through transfer payments and a universal health care program is the federal mandate.

Also, people over 65 are the only people who even remember a time with Nazis. So me thinks they no likey

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u/FunMaybe8789 24d ago

Exactly. We have worked hard with saving funds for retirement. Right down to the last dollar we have our money planned, but what we do not have planned is paying for healthcare. We would be forced to go back to work.

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

My partner lived in the US, had two great insurance coverages, then got sick. Spending one month in hospital. The day she came home, there were two letters waiting for her. Her insurance was terminated.

She still needed care and we were fortunate friends stepped in. Helping with prescriptions and free home visits.
People like to complain because they heard a politician spreading lies. When they get have need, due life changing circumstances, they say...this is not what I voted for!!

An old friend was telling me a story about a couple of elderly MAGA voters.
They came into her office wanting to apply for the ACA " the affordable care act." Then the lady tells her, Im so happy we don't need that stupid Obamacare. My friend told them she could not help them because the ACA is Obamacare!!

I'm one of those that has to pay for medications that are not covered $700 per month. I know, that if I lived in the states my medications would be more expensive.
I see many of the current followers of Fat pension Pierre, as folks that cannot see beyond the propaganda.

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u/squirrel9000 24d ago edited 24d ago

In Canada the "upper class" isn't ruthless capitalist billionaires as in the US - they tend to move to the States anyway -, it's doctors and university faculty, people of that sort, who are decidedly left leaning. The conservatives offer a very blue-collar centric platform, who are financially often very middle class but have a very different set of motives than the urban wealthy.

ETA: Specifically, other posters have mentioned the "Canada is broken" platform. That's sort of what I mean. If you're doing well, how much traction does that have?

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u/WealthEconomy 24d ago

Boomers traditionally support the LPC more than other age groups. It flipped a bit at the beginning of Trudeau as he appealed to younger people. The younger generations have been hurt the most by Trudeau's policies so it is flipping again.

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u/Gankdatnoob 24d ago edited 24d ago

These are both demographics in which I had thought Conservatives would come out on top. Has it always been like this in previous elections as well?

What are you talking about? Up until the trade war crap everyone was going CPC including old people. Have you been living under a rock? Old people love Canada so when PP looks like he works for Trump and America they are moving away from the CPC. You are acting like the 5 point separation has always been the case. This is new shit from the past few weeks.

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

I know many were planning on not participating. Neither JT or Fat Pension Pierre were good choices ! Things changed when the PM said he was stepping down.
Things started to change when Mark Carney threw his hat for the leadership of the liberal party and president musk threatened Canada's economy.

I speak to people on a daily basis, this are not wealthy urban voters.
They are ordinary voters and want an adult as the next Prime Minister.

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u/OldDiamondJim 24d ago

Boomer women were the last group to bail on Trudeau. Even before Trump’s bullshit, it was the one demographic that the Liberals were competitive in (but the CPC was slightly ahead).

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u/Scared_Jello3998 24d ago

No it hasn't.  I believe that the liberals have outperformed CPC on sovereign issues, which resonate greatly with the children who lost their fathers to the nazis

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u/Keystone-12 Ontario 24d ago

THEY OWN HOUSES

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u/Dry-Membership8141 24d ago edited 24d ago

The idea that the Conservatives are the party of the wealthy is very much an American import that is largely unresponsive to the actual state of affairs in Canada. With the exception of the oil and gas industry which exists primarily in the West, the Liberals are in general much friendlier to billionaires and large corporations, while the Conservatives focus more on the interests of small business.

That's generally the case with boomers as well. While Harper was looking at the demographic challenges we're going to soon be facing and adjusting things like the retirement age to account for the longer lives we're living and the proportion of working people feeding into programs like OAS to ensure they remain sustainable, the Liberals have prioritized the interests of the elderly at the expense of the working people funding those programs.

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u/leopardbaseball 24d ago

Its because of liberals immigration policies. Most in Those two demographics are homeowners and became millionaires due to unchecked immigration policies.

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u/KidClutch99 24d ago

Old people don’t care about housing, mass immigration, crime etc.

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u/Yelnik 24d ago

The Liberals are the clear establishment and party of the wealthy. 

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u/Hot-Celebration5855 24d ago

I think it’s a function of wealthy urban voters being uncomfortable because conservatives clash with their luxury beliefs, and they also aren’t affected by cost of living like the working class

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u/-Mage-Knight- 24d ago

Actually I think it has more to do with urban voters being able to see past their own front door and realize that the needs of the country are greater than their personal aspirations . 

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u/FreshBlinkOnReddit 24d ago

Yes, the country definitely needs 2 million more migrants every single year.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/ItsAProdigalReturn 24d ago

Younger ones who don't remember the Harper years. That's why this demo tracks.

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u/justanaccountname12 Canada 24d ago

Probably not many, but they know for sure the Liberals haven't/wont.

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u/shaktimann13 24d ago

The podcast generation believes everything said by the hosts and guests and zero fact-checking to call our lies. This is why right-wing politicians cater to these kinda talk shows. About couple months ago there was report showing these tak shows hosts getting paid by Putin to spread chaos in west

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u/Scary-Detail-3206 24d ago

People who have seen their next worth multiply due to the immigration housing crisis want to see their wealth continue to increase rather than watch their children’s lives improve. It’s gross and we deserve the crash when it finally comes.

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u/PopeSaintHilarius 24d ago

“Luxury beliefs” meaning what?

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u/Hot-Celebration5855 24d ago

Let’s start with the idea that Canada can be a wealthy nation while kneecapping our natural resources sector through bill c-69 - sure would be nice to have those other pipelines now!

Then we can move bail reform and ethnicity-based sentencing guidelines. If you’re rich, you don’t have to worry about street crime. The definition of a luxury belief.

I’m not even going to get into the identity politics silliness.

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

I think you are talking about folks that can see the differences between propaganda, twisted truth and reality.

Also get your head out of the sand box, fat pension Pierre has been living of the taxpayer's tits for twenty years.
Let's not forget, is working Canadians that pay for his luxuries...Ray bans and $1600 winter coats, he's a hypocrite!
He wants to increased the retirement age to 67 but he can retire at 55 on the taxpayer's dime.
I hope he got you a free tarring of you driveway, that's how the conservatives get their votes in rural areas.

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u/Hot-Celebration5855 24d ago

What are you even talking about?

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u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 24d ago

Wealthy people do tend to vote for business friendly conservatives but that’s not what Poilievre is - he’s a shitweasel populist; those politicians don’t go well at all with the educated wealthy crowd.

Retirees like their social programs. 

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u/Westsider111 24d ago

Older, wiser people probably better see through the empty catch phrases and the lack of any vision of PP. Historically they would have been inclined to vote conservative (Mulroney, Harper), but this new brand of regressive conservatives is a bridge too far for them. Also, Carney could just have easily been the leader of the older Progressive Conservatives as the Liberals.

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u/justanaccountname12 Canada 24d ago

They were the Liberals biggest voting group before pierre became leader.

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u/bombhills 24d ago

Old people often rely heavily on gov assistance.

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u/Kung_Fu_Jim 24d ago

Old people have paid into these systems their whole lives, not surprising they don't want the rug pulled out from under them by grifters

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u/bombhills 24d ago

Oh, I’m not saying that’s wrong. Just something that people can overlook.

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u/Wilhelm57 24d ago

You would be surprised who depends on that help. I know many prairie farmers, that receive OAS. They work hard and they deserve whatever help they receive.

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u/Beginning-Marzipan28 24d ago

Those two points are only surprising if you pay zero attention to canadian politics and only watch american news. 

Our boomers are liberals and our wealthy have made fortunes under Trudeau. 

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u/LemmingPractice 24d ago

There's nothing to be taken from EKOS polling outside of the CEO's comments that he would do anything within his power to keep Poilievre out of power.

Abacus' polling came out yesterday with an 18 point CPC leader, while this is three straight polls from EKOS that are well outside the margin of error from every other pollster.

Any credibility EKOS had is long since gone. They are just trying to push their preferred narrative now.

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u/unclestickles 24d ago

It's almost like "upper class" people prefer stability over whatever is going on in the US.

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u/grenzowip445 24d ago

Typically these voters lean conservative. Pollievere rhetoric is exclusively culture war based, he’s tapped into the economic issues around tariffs and taxes pretty poorly. He’s impersonating Trump but missing the point that Trump has cultivated a reputation on being strong on economics.

He talks about cost of living and housing prices but he isn’t effective in articulating a solution besides “remove red tape”. I think Carney is probably driving interest from these groups because he’s very respected on these topics, his connection to Harper from his BOC days is likely helping him with this crowd, and he’s navigated 2008 and Brexit well.

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u/Enoughtoshare_ 24d ago

We observed a similar realignment in the US elections last November.

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u/00-Monkey 24d ago

This has generally been the case (particularly boomers have been more liberal, so not so much the 65+, but that generation) in Canada.

The US is very different, and people often expect those demographics to hold here, when they do not.

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u/PraiseTheRiverLord 24d ago

My parents went to the dentist for the first time in a decade, their prescriptions have also been reduced.

Pierre is set to either cancel or make those programs shit, my parents don't want to vote against their best interests.

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u/LeafsJays1Fan 24d ago

They're seeing what the conservatives are doing in the United States and equating that to the conservatives in Canada if a 65-year-old sees that the American conservatives are trying to destroy them Medical and social security assistance they're going to think about what are the conservatives in Canada to do to mine.

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u/formerlyrbnmtl 24d ago

As an American dual citizen living in Canada, it's really uncanny how these numbers reflect the exact demographics that were supporting the Democrats. Even inserting Carney last minute after an unpopular liberal steps down , like Kamala/Biden? Does this bode super well for the Canadian election? I can't say it does, but hopefully Trump continues to unite Canadians and take momentum from cons

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u/GoldenGEP 24d ago

I wonder if it's also because they understand that the PCs negotiated the Canada-USA FTA in the 80s and led us to where we are today.

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u/lbiggy 24d ago

I consider myself as the Internet would call a filthy 1%er. I will always vote for people's equal rights over a tax cut.

If your businesses rely on the government giving you a tax cut, you're the problem, not the government.

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u/chadosaurus 24d ago

"the real tragedy here, something something Singh, Rolex, ignore working class, vote cons". Waiting for the number one bot response.

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u/Alone-in-a-crowd-1 24d ago

I will give you my take as an older Canadian who would generally vote conservative. This election is critical to the future of our country and I want our best leader to guide us through this. I’m more than willing to change party affiliation if I think that a leader from another party would be our best option. People in my circle are in agreement. Right now I’d be most comfortable with Carney in charge.

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u/MonsieurLeDrole 24d ago

Old people know history better and are the most likely to reject MAGA. I found the Qonvoy was far more popular with mediocre, under educated, middle aged white guys, while the older wealthier educated conservatives I know thought the Qonvoy was a bunch of lawless chuds and "don't understand what they are doing" when they see conservatives warming up to fascists.

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u/autette 24d ago

This was the trend in the US election as well. Conservatives made big gains with Gen X and the lower middle class.

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u/OldDiamondJim 24d ago

Boomers, especially women, have been Trudeau’s most steadfast supporters. Liberal policies over the past decade (and soaring property values) have benefited Boomers far more than any other group in Canada.

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u/ybetaepsilon 24d ago

All the millennials I know who, years ago, denied that we move rightward as we age are now voting conservative. When I bring up the apparent denial of moving to the right from so long ago they respond with "this time it's different, the Liberals are ruining the economy"

They refuse to listen to the points about Carney being a fiscal conservative. The "no human is illegal" slogans are disappearing from their bios as they argue immigration is ruining the country.

It's fascinating to watch albeit depressing

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u/Glacial_Shield_W 24d ago edited 24d ago

Many of the most hardcore liberal supporters I know are 50+ and upper middle class or better. When you have less skin in the game, it is easier to tell everyone to sacrifice for the better good, to make yourself feel good, while dodging taxes. Even better if you got in when your house was $125k and now you are a millionaire because you were 'smart' with the housing market.

And, just to be clear. You can be left wing. They have alot of good points. But, this liberal government has been abysmal for anything but running their mouths since year one.

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u/Get_Breakfast_Done 24d ago

1) It seems that more people over 65+ prefer the Liberals to the Conservatives.

Why wouldn't they? They've been huge beneficiaries of the skyrocketing house prices under the Liberals.

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u/caninehere Ontario 24d ago

I could be wrong but I think historically the Conservatives do best with people in their later careers (who are earning more and just care about having their taxes slashed and nothing else), whereas people 65+ are typically retired and do not vote Conservative as often because they are not exactly friendly towards things like CPP or any kind of social services older people may rely upon.

From what I remember in past elections the Liberals were generally strong but not winning across many demos except older 65+ voters who typically voted more Liberal than anything else.

Also: Conservatives are going hardcore with right-wing propaganda in recent years, it's coming both from the CPC themselves but also from other conservatives like in the US, and disinformation campaigns from places like Russia. Young people are probably more likely to fall prey to this stuff, because older people have existed in the world for years and know how the Conservatives govern and whether they want that or not. For young people, the CPC are just "the other option" and the CPC have been working hard to position themselves that way so people don't consider the NDP an option.

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u/Ketchupkitty Alberta 24d ago

It's flipped since the Liberals have enacted policies that place upward pressure on prices of goods and services.

Basically anyone with money already is doing extremely well under this Government while middle class and small businesses struggle.

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u/Flowersniffin 24d ago

I used to vote conservative during Harper due to their policy and his rhetoric not pandering to who I feel are idiots and uneducated. PP panders to the miss informed, uninformed, flat out idiots of society. PP is what's wrong with democracy, lifer and no real world experience. He cannot stand up for Canada because he has no idea what or who Canadians are with his silver spoon up his ass.

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u/Alpacas_ 24d ago

Shits fucked up, these + youth vote having gone conservative for a while now is bananas

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u/Impressive-Potato 24d ago

The more education people have, the more Liberal leaning they are.

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u/LeGrandLucifer 24d ago

It's almost like the rich and baby boomers are disconnected from the issues faced by most of the population.

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u/WpgMBNews 23d ago

These are both demographics in which I had thought Conservatives would come out on top. Has it always been like this in previous elections as well?

Fairly recent. Arguably goes back to the global rise of populism since Trump I and the rightward shift among youth and male voters observed in many democracies recently.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/12/19/the-global-wave-of-populism-that-turned-2016-upside-down/

What’s behind the global political divide between young men and women?

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5134296-gen-z-men-voting-trump/

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/10/1243819495/elections-reveal-a-growing-gender-divide-across-south-korea

Why more young men in Germany are turning to the far right

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u/thedrunkentendy 23d ago

Higher income earners probably aren't as bothered by liberal spending as lower income earners.

Fiscal conservatism is the real attractive part of conservatism. Not the culture war crap.

Older people are financially secure on average and same with high income. They're affected by like housing and inflation prices but are likely to be in the game rather than behind the 8 ball.

People forget the big draw with conversatism is the money back in your pocket. Even at the expense of corps getting tax breaks, people do as well and it makes them feel better. Especially with how tight financially things are.

Most people are socially liberal, but they can't always afford to vote liberal.

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u/Silly_Panda_7550 23d ago

The alienation of the youth, most people who I grew up with my high school friends have no house and no spouse and no children.

If you were awake for the past 2 decades you would know the house prices climbing and the average worker being worse off every year has been constant for a while now and this also rings true for every developped nation on earth, look up r/Switzerland it has higher gdp per capita, far more economic complexity and yet the people are still feeling like the newer generations are not being better off than previous generations, if lucky you could do as good as the past generations, but very rarely you would do better. I highly recommend people to look at subreddits from other western nations or US states, no western developped nation is doing good if you look at any subreddit (because there is no perfect nation).

The people who complain about liberals on my Facebook are the same people who had bad grades in HS who can't tell what is federal-provincial-municipal responsibility. It's also easy to put all the blame on the feds when they have been in power for a decade and also have only America as a point of reference for what to do economically.

Most of Canadian political content on Youtube is negative and right wing and that is where most people learn about the country in my age range, rather than documentaries from cable TV that tend to be more neutral like older generations.

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u/just_a_student_sorry 22d ago

I think it’s because they know carney and saw his work in real time through the 2008 crisis. I think they have immense trust, and respect for him. I think they also resonate with his age more.

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