Almost half of Liberal voters in 2025 are open to a merger with the New Democratic Party (NDP).
Vancouver, BC [July 7, 2025] – The governing Liberal Party remains the top choice for voters in Canada two and a half months after the last federal election, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 47% of decided voters in Canada say they would cast a ballot for the Liberal candidate in their constituency, while 37% would support the Conservative Party.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois are tied for third place with 6%, followed by the Green Party with 2% the People’s Party with 1% and other parties and independent candidates also with 1%.
The Liberals hold sizeable leads over the Conservatives in Atlantic Canada (57% to 38%), Ontario (53% to 41%) and British Columbia (52% to 37%). In Quebec, the Liberals are first with 46%, followed by the Conservatives with 21% and Bloc with 19%.
The Conservatives are ahead of the Liberals in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (48% to 42%) and Alberta (53% to 36%).
Canada-U.S. Relations is the most important issue for Canadians (22%, -4 since the final Research Co. poll of the 2025 federal campaign completed in late April), followed by the economy and jobs (21%, +1), housing, homelessness and poverty (18%, -3), health care (13%, +2) and immigration (9%, +2).
Just over three-in-five Canadians (61%, +2) approve of the way Prime Minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney is managing his duties. The rating is lower for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre (44%, -4), Green co-leader Elizabeth May (34%), Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet (28%, -1), interim NDP leader Don Davies (26%) and People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier (21%, -1).
On the eve of the 2025 federal election, Carney held a 10-point lead over Poilievre on the “Preferred Prime Minister” question. This month, the Liberal leader is 16 points ahead of his Conservative counterpart (47% to 31%).
“Majorities of British Columbians (56%) and Ontarians (51%) prefer Mark Carney as Canada’s prime minister,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Pierre Poilievre’s best numbers on this question are in Alberta (40%).”
At least half of Canadians believe Carney is better suited than Poilievre to handle three issues: Canada-U.S. Relations (53% to 28%), foreign affairs (52% to 28%) and national unity (50% to 26%).
The current prime minister holds double-digit leads over the Conservative leader on five other issues: the economy and jobs (49% to 33%), accountability and leadership (49% to 31%), health care (45% to 30%), the environment (43% to 27%) and energy and pipelines (42% to 34%).
Carney’s advantage over Poilievre is smaller on three issues: housing, homelessness and poverty (41% to 32%), immigration (40% to 34%) and crime and public safety (39% to 37%).
Federal NDP Leadership
The survey also asked Canadians about their views on nine possible contenders for the leadership of the federal NDP. The highest proportion of favourable mentions is for former House leader Ruth Ellen Brosseau (18%), followed by BC MP Jenny Kwan (17%), Alberta MP Heather McPherson (16%), former MP and former Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart (also 16%), former BC MLA and MP Nathan Cullen (15%), Manitoba MP Leah Gazan (also 15%), former Ontario MP candidate Tony McQuail (also 15%), BC MP Gord Johns (14%) and former BC MP candidate Avi Lewis (12%).
When asked if they would like to see each of these candidates as leaders of the federal NDP, the highest proportion of “definitely” and “probably” responses is for Kwan (22%), followed by McPherson (21%), Stewart (20%), Cullen (also 20%), Brosseau (19%), McQuail (also 19%), Johns (18%), Lewis (also 18%) and Gazan (17%).
More than a third of Canadians (37%) think the federal NDP should merge with the Liberal Party—a view shared by 47% of those who voted for the Liberals in 2025 and 43% of those who voted for the New Democrats.
Public support is lower for mergers involving the NDP and the Green Party (30%) and the Liberals, New Democrats and Greens (also 30%).
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from June 30 to July 2, 2025, among 1,001 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca