British Columbia NDP leader Adrian Dix speaks during a news conference with families of serial killer Robert Pickton's victims in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday March 29, 2012.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
As the immensely popular host of a radio talk show, Christy Clark had a knack for connecting with ordinary people.
But the charm that served her so well on CKNW has deserted her as the Premier of British Columbia, according to a new poll that shows voters are increasingly tuning her and the Liberal Party out.
"Her ratings are down for the third consecutive time," Mario Canseco, vice-president of Angus Reid Public Opinion, said on Tuesday.
The latest poll shows NDP Leader Adrian Dix holds a double-digit lead over Ms. Clark – 26 per cent to 15 per cent – on the question of who would make the best premier of the province. That's a one-point gain for Mr. Dix since the last poll, in March, and a two-point slide for Ms. Clark.
In an even more surprising result, B.C. voters rated Mr. Dix ahead of Ms. Clark as the person best suited to deal with the economy, health care and crime – three core issues the Liberals have owned for the past decade.
Asked if he'd ever seen a poll in which the NDP outscored the Liberals on those issues, Mr. Canseco sounded astonished.
"Never," he said. "Even when Gordon Campbell was incredibly unpopular … we never saw a situation like this."
Mr. Canseco said the results reflect both Ms. Clark's failure to connect with voters, and the NDP's ability to allay people's fears about its ability to manage the provincial economy.
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Mark Hume