Trudeau's passing provides boost in polls for Canada's Liberals

OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- Canada's ruling Liberals received a boost from the death of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau last week, but it is too early to say whether this means they stand a better chance of winning an election that seems set for next month, according to a poll published on Thursday.

The Leger Marketing poll -- which was being conducted when Trudeau died last Thursday -- showed backing for the Liberals rose to 48 percent from 44 percent while the main opposition Canadian Alliance fell to 19 percent from 22 percent.

"The Trudeau effect is magic," Leger Marketing president Jean-Marc Leger told the Globe and Mail newspaper. The poll was conducted for the Journal de Montreal.

Leger said the huge surge in public emotions triggered by Trudeau's death meant it was not possible to determine whether it would have any lasting effect on the Liberals' chances.

But in a significant change from previous polls, the number of undecided voters fell to just 7 percent from an average of 15 to 20 percent seen over the last few months.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who has vowed to campaign on the Liberal values of Trudeau, looks set to call an election for November 27, just 3 1/2 years into his five-year mandate.

Support for the minority Conservatives, the left-leaning New Democratic Party and the separatist Bloc Quebecois remained steady at about 10 percent for each party.

The poll of 1,507 voters was conducted from September 25 to October 3 and is deemed accurate 19 times out of 20. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

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