<p>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party appears to be ceding popularity to its Conservative rivals, according to polls published Saturday, with early elections only weeks away.</p>.<p>The Conservatives of Erin O'Toole, the main opposition party, took a slim lead as support for the Liberals has eroded in recent days, according to a tracking survey by Nanos Research conducted for the CTV network and the daily Globe and Mail.</p>.<p>The poll shows Conservatives favored by 33.3 per cent of eligible voters, to 30.8 per cent for Trudeau's Liberals, a difference just within the poll's margin of error but reflecting a steady swing away from the Liberals in recent days.</p>.<p>In mid-August, when Trudeau announced plans to hold an early election on September 20 -- less than two years after the last federal ballot -- his Liberals held a small lead.</p>.<p>But Trudeau's hopes of regaining a majority in the House of Commons appear a bit more tenuous today, Nik Nanos, founder of the eponymous polling firm, told CTV.</p>.<p>"It looks like the Conservatives are now gaining the upper hand and there is definitely negative pressure on the Liberals," he said.</p>.<p>The CBC public network's poll tracker also showed a narrow but growing shift in favor of the Conservatives, giving them a lead of 32.5 per cent to 32.2 per cent.</p>.<p>The Nanos poll put the left-leaning New Democratic Party in third position, supported by 21.7 per cent of eligible voters. The CBC tracker had the New Democrats at 20.2 per cent.</p>.<p>Nanos showed O'Toole, who is still relatively unknown among the general public, with a rising approval rating, up 3.2 points to 27.2 per cent since August 23.</p>.<p>Approval for Trudeau slid by 2.8 per cent, to 29.9 per cent, over the same period.</p>.<p>Nanos noted that the decline in support for the Liberals came during a week when the election campaign was dominated by bleak news from Afghanistan, including the end of Canadian evacuation operations there.</p>.<p>Trudeau has also faced pushback over his response to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>On Friday, he had to cancel an election rally in the Toronto region because of angry anti-vaccination and anti-masking protests.</p>.<p>The rolling Nanos poll is conducted by phone, with one-third of its 1,200 respondents contacted each night. It has a 2.8-point margin of error.</p>
<p>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party appears to be ceding popularity to its Conservative rivals, according to polls published Saturday, with early elections only weeks away.</p>.<p>The Conservatives of Erin O'Toole, the main opposition party, took a slim lead as support for the Liberals has eroded in recent days, according to a tracking survey by Nanos Research conducted for the CTV network and the daily Globe and Mail.</p>.<p>The poll shows Conservatives favored by 33.3 per cent of eligible voters, to 30.8 per cent for Trudeau's Liberals, a difference just within the poll's margin of error but reflecting a steady swing away from the Liberals in recent days.</p>.<p>In mid-August, when Trudeau announced plans to hold an early election on September 20 -- less than two years after the last federal ballot -- his Liberals held a small lead.</p>.<p>But Trudeau's hopes of regaining a majority in the House of Commons appear a bit more tenuous today, Nik Nanos, founder of the eponymous polling firm, told CTV.</p>.<p>"It looks like the Conservatives are now gaining the upper hand and there is definitely negative pressure on the Liberals," he said.</p>.<p>The CBC public network's poll tracker also showed a narrow but growing shift in favor of the Conservatives, giving them a lead of 32.5 per cent to 32.2 per cent.</p>.<p>The Nanos poll put the left-leaning New Democratic Party in third position, supported by 21.7 per cent of eligible voters. The CBC tracker had the New Democrats at 20.2 per cent.</p>.<p>Nanos showed O'Toole, who is still relatively unknown among the general public, with a rising approval rating, up 3.2 points to 27.2 per cent since August 23.</p>.<p>Approval for Trudeau slid by 2.8 per cent, to 29.9 per cent, over the same period.</p>.<p>Nanos noted that the decline in support for the Liberals came during a week when the election campaign was dominated by bleak news from Afghanistan, including the end of Canadian evacuation operations there.</p>.<p>Trudeau has also faced pushback over his response to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>On Friday, he had to cancel an election rally in the Toronto region because of angry anti-vaccination and anti-masking protests.</p>.<p>The rolling Nanos poll is conducted by phone, with one-third of its 1,200 respondents contacted each night. It has a 2.8-point margin of error.</p>