Poll: Harper to win majority government

MONTREAL, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative minority is poised to become a majority government, a nationwide poll indicated Monday.

The Segma Research poll, taken for the French-language Montreal daily La Presse, put Conservative support among likely voters in the Oct. 14 election at 43 percent, which Segma said would give Conservatives "up to 183" of 308 House of Commons seats.

It takes 155 seats to form a majority government.

Opposition Liberal Party support "stagnated at 25 percent," the poll said, and would likely lead to control of 62 seats in the new Parliament.

At Sunday's campaign launch, Conservatives held 127 seats and Liberals had 95.

The separatist Bloc Quebecois still led in Quebec, with 35 percent of voter support, followed by Conservatives with 30 percent.

But Conservatives jumped in Ontario support to 44 percent from 32 percent in February and Liberals fell to 31 percent from 43 percent, the poll indicated.

"It is clear that the election will be played in Ontario, if not already played," Harvey said.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said Harper had improved as a politician since his January 2006 election, while 11 percent said he was "less good" than before.

The poll had a margin of sampling error of 2.7 percentage points.