Rustad falls behind Eby on key issues, tied on crime: B.C. poll

B.C. NDP Premier David Eby has pulled ahead of B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad and is now leading or tied with the opposition on several critical issues, including crime.

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B.C. NDP Premier David Eby has pulled ahead of B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad and is now leading or tied with the opposition on several critical issues, including crime.

According to a new Research Co. poll, the BC NDP are six points ahead of the BC Conservatives when it comes to vote intention.

When voters were asked to rank who was more fit to be Premier, Eby (37 per cent) gained a 16 point lead over Rustad (21 per cent).

When broken down by issues, Eby is seen as better suited than Rustad to handle seven key issues, including education (44 per cent to 26 per cent), the environment (43 per cent to 24 per cent), health care (41 per cent to 28 per cent), housing and poverty (40 per cent to 28 per cent), energy (40 per cent to 29 per cent), the economy (38 per cent to 31 per cent) and accountability (37 per cent to 30 per cent).

The two leaders are tied on crime and public safety at 34 per cent each. Crime has been a sticking point for Eby as he has tried to distance himself from unpopular policies like decriminalization and his own past advocacy, which includes penning a book titled “How to Sue the Police and Private Security in Small Claims Court.”

Housing, poverty and homelessness remain the top concerns for British Columbians, with 30 per cent identifying the issue as their top priority, down four points.

The New Democrats hold their strongest support among voters aged 55 and older, with 54 per cent backing the party compared to 35 per cent for the Conservatives.

An online survey, conducted Oct. 1-3 among 801 adults in the province, found that 44 per cent of decided voters would support the BC NDP candidate in their constituency — up one point since a similar poll in June.

The Conservative Party of BC remains in a more distant second place with 38 per cent support, a four-point drop.

The weaker polling numbers come amid ongoing tensions within the BC Conservative caucus. On October 1, party leader John Rustad shuffled several key caucus roles, just weeks after securing his leadership in a party race.

The BC Green Party, meanwhile, follows with 12 per cent, up four points, fresh off the appointment of Emily Lowan as the party’s new leader.

The poll’s data was weighted to reflect census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.