Stephen Harper's trustworthiness rating dropped 7.6 per cent, according to new polling data released Tuesday afternoon, but he still enjoys a wide lead over the other major party leaders on an overall leadership index score.
A new poll conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News and the Globe and Mail found that the Conservative leader's trustworthiness score on the Nanos Leadership Index dropped to 24.6 per cent on Monday evening, compared to 32.2 per cent the night before.
The data was released the day after the Conservatives came under fire following the release of two draft reports written by Auditor General Sheila Fraser as she probed how the Conservatives funded projects ahead of the G8 summit in Huntsville, Ont.
A January draft accused the government of misleading Parliament to win approval for the $50 million G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund, while a February version obtained by CTV News was less damning but still criticized how money was spent and how projects were approved.
All parties called on Fraser to release her final report in the wake of the leaks, but she refused, saying her department can only table reports when Parliament is in session.
While Harper enjoys a wide lead over the other major party leaders in overall Leadership Index Score, he still saw that rating drop to 94.0 Monday night, from 109.6 on Sunday.
The leadership index is measured nightly, with survey respondents being asked to rate the major federal party leaders on three characteristics: trust, competence, and vision for the country.
According to Monday's data, NDP Leader Jack Layton saw the biggest uptick in his trustworthiness score, which rose to 21.8 per cent from 16.5 per cent. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff was steady at 13.3 per cent, from 13.5 per cent the day before.
On competence, Harper's score dipped slightly to 39.7 per cent, from 42.5 per cent on Sunday. Layton remained steady at 14.4 per cent, from 14.5 per cent, while Ignatieff was up to 15.1 per cent, compared to 12.7 per cent.
Harper's numbers also dipped on vision for Canada, from 34.9 per cent on Sunday to 29.7 per cent on Monday. Layton was up to 17.9 per cent from 16.8 per cent, while Ignatieff rose from 18.5 per cent to 20.0 per cent.
Overall, Layton's Leadership Index Score rose to 54.1 per cent from 47.8 per cent, while Ignatieff's was up to 48.4 per cent from 44.7 per cent.
Monday's poll also found that health care continues to be an important issue for Canadians, with one in three respondents rating it as their most important national issue of concern.
According to the poll, 32.3 per cent of respondents ranked health care number one, up 3.0 per cent. Jobs and the economy remained steady, with 21.0 per cent of respondents ranking them as their number-one concern, up 0.1 per cent.
Data on Canadians' top issue is based on a three-day rolling sample of 1,200 people. Each night, a new group of 400 respondents is surveyed and added to the sample, while the oldest group of 400 respondents is dropped.
The margin of error for a survey of 1,200 respondents is +/-2.8 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Earlier Monday, another Nanos Research poll put the Conservatives in the lead with 39.7 per cent support, ahead of the Liberals' 31.2 per cent. The NDP were at 16.8 per cent.
