Tory, Green Party leaders score big in Manitoba election debate: poll

Manitoba Green Party Leader James Beddome was a big success among eligible voters with his performance in the televised leaders' debate on Tuesday.

A new poll suggests most people believe Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister won the debate, but Beddome scored highest when people were asked whether they had a favourable opinion of each leader.

"This was a good debate for Brian Pallister, who kept calm and steady," said Quito Maggi, president of Mainstreet Research. "It's clear from favourability scores he and James Beddome did best."

• Manitoba leaders' debate: Selinger, Bokhari, Pallister, Beddome squared off on issues

Those polled were asked, following the debate, whether they had a favourable or unfavourable opinion of each leader.

Beddome was the only one of the four who received a positive score, meaning he had more favourable responses (43 per cent) than unfavourable ones (23 per cent).

Pallister came out even with 39 per cent saying they had a favourable opinion of him and 39 per cent saying they had an unfavourable one (22 per cent were undecided).

Favourability scores:

• Beddome: +26
• Pallister: 0
• Selinger: –32
• Bokhari: –40

​The Mainstreet/Postmedia survey, published Thursday morning, also asked people who watched the debate who they think will win the April 19 provincial election. The results were:

• PC 60 %
• NDP 17 %
• Green Party 5%
• Liberal Party 3 %
• Undecided 15 %

Asked who they will vote for, respondents said:

• PC 47 %
• NDP 23 %
• Green Party 8 %
• Liberal Party 5 %
• Undecided 17 %

We asked Manitobans what they thought.

RAW: Manitobans weigh in on who won Tuesday's leaders' debate

9 years ago

Duration 1:56

The leaders of Manitoba's four main political parties squared off in a televised debate at CBC Manitoba headquarters Tuesday night that touched on taxes, health care, the economy and poverty.

The poll by Mainstreet Research was conducted for Postmedia on April 12, 2016, interviewing a random sample of 998 Manitobans through landlines and cellphones. A probabilistic sample of this size would yield a margin of error of +/- 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.