Canadians believe the Conservatives are best at managing government spending, but voters aren’t as confident with their ability to promote growth, according to a new Nanos/CTV News poll.

While the majority of those surveyed said they trust the governing party to manage spending, the Conservatives are now virtually tied with the Liberals when it comes to being the party most trusted to promote economic growth.

“What’s not surprising is that Canadians believe that the Conservatives are good at managing finances,” pollster Nik Nanos told CTV News.

“However, when it comes to promoting economic prosperity, they are statistically tied with the Liberals – the party with no platform at this point in time for the economy.”

On the issue of which party Canadians trust with government spending, the Conservative Party leads the pack with 35 per cent of support among poll respondents, followed by the Liberal Party at 28 per cent.

That gap narrowed significantly when Canadians were asked which party they trust the most to promote the country’s economic growth. Thirty-five per cent said it was the Conservatives, while 33 per cent named the Liberals. The NDP trailed behind at 15 per cent.

Nanos said it’s “clear” that the Conservatives are vulnerable on that front because they’ve been distracted by other issues, including the war on terrorism.

 
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Impact of budget delays

Delaying the federal budget over concerns about the impact of plummeting oil prices also didn’t gain the Tories any political points, Nanos said.

More than half of those surveyed said the budget delay was unnecessary.

Defence spending

On the issue of national security, the majority of Canadians either support or somewhat support more government spending to prevent terror threats in Canada. Yet, 44 per cent think increased spending will have only a minor impact of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

Another 33 per cent believe more spending will not have any impact, according to the poll.

“Playing the terrorism card has helped build the brand of the prime minister, although it has not converted into significant support for the Tories,” Nanos said.

The poll randomly surveyed 1,000 Canadians online and over the phone (land lines and cell phones) between March 21 and March 24, as part of an omnibus survey. It is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.