A poll conducted one day after Kevin Falcon pulled the plug on the BC United party in the province, finds the governing NDP has a one-point lead over the BC Conservatives.
The Pallas Data survey on Thursday, August 29 involved 821 adults.
The poll determined the BC NDP, led by Premier David Eby, has 44% (+7% since Pallas' last poll in May).
The BC Conservatives, led by John Rustad, have 43% (+5%). The Green Party, with Sonia Furstenau at the helm, has 11% (+2%).
Pallas Data founder and CEO Dr. Joseph Angolano says the first examination of the BC political landscape since Kevin Falcon's decision to join forces with the BC Conservatives, shows it did not have the intended effect of giving the Conservatives a bigger lead over the NDP -- at least not immediately.
Angolano said, "It either means that voters are still considering their options, or the bulk of right-of-centre United supporters had already left for the Conservatives before Falcon's announcement, and those remaining supporters were sticking around under the United brand because they did not feel ideologically aligned with the Conservatives."
Despite the NDP in the lead 48% of BCer's say the province is headed in the wrong direction. 38% believe it's headed in the right direction.
The survey also asked respondents about their impressions of the party leaders. No party leader received a positive net score.
Green Party leader Sonia Fursteneau and NDP leader David Eby have identical net scores (-6%).
However, 32% of respondents said they had a positive impression of Eby, compared to 20% who had a positive impression of Fursteneau. John Rustad has a net score of -17%.
"Eby is the best performer among the three party leaders, but that shouldn't be taken as voters giving him ringing endorsement over his two opponents," said Angolano.