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Jagmeet Singh had his big day spoiled by his ugliest poll yet

Ekos poll has the NDP sinking into fourth place.
jagmeet singh in house of commons
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh rises for the first time after taking his place in the House of Commons Monday March 18, 2019 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Sunday was a big day for the Burnaby South MP and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Monday, not so much.

On Sunday, Singh unveiled a blockbuster plan to expand Canada's health-care system, starting with fast-tracking a universal drug plan to ensure a late 2020 start date. Singh said if his party forms government after the October federal election, it will inject $10 billion annually into a national pharmacare program.

But before Singh had a chance to bask in the glow of such a huge announcement came a new poll from Ekos on Monday that had the NDP in fourth place behind the Liberals, Conservatives and the Greens – you know, the same Greens that just whipped the NDP in federal Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection.

ekos poll
The Ekos poll, including methodology. SCREENSHOT

According to Ekos, “the results of our most recent three-day poll (n=1,229) are: 33.6 per cent for the Conservatives, 30.9 per cent for the Liberals, 13.6 per cent for the Greens, and 11.9 per cent for the NDP. For the purpose of ensuring a more reliable analysis of regional and demographic patterns, we also present a six-day roll (n=2,491), which shows a four-point lead for the Conservatives. These results, coupled with the three-day roll, suggest that the recent trend of inverse fortunes for the Liberals and Conservatives is continuing.”

According to David Akin, the chief political reporter for Global, this is the first time he’s seen the Greens in third place.

 

Ruh-roh…

Is it time for the NDP to panic? Is the fact that the Greens are surging in the polls and in fundraising – they’ve been setting party records for cash brought in – while the NDP has struggled in both areas, a sign that the tide has turned against the NDP?

Or is this still too early in the race?

It’s just one poll, although other polls haven’t exactly been kind to the NDP.

And perhaps Sunday’s big announcement will be something that swings more votes Singh’s way, although unveiling such a big platform the day before the Raptors parade wasn’t exactly smart politics. I wish people and media didn’t focus so much on the Raptors, but it doesn’t take a political genius to know that the news cycle would get dominated by it.

(Click here for the full Ekos report.)

Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.