Many things could change before the April provincial election. That's the feeling of Brandon University Associate Professor of Political Science Kelly Saunders, in response to the latest Main Street poll. That poll showed the Progressive Conservatives take a strong lead, with support of 52 per cent of voter support. The NDP and Liberals were tied with 20 per cent of support each. Saunders says while the poll creates an optimistic outlook for the provincial Tories, there's still a lot of time before Manitobans cast their ballot.

"There's going to be lots and lots of issues that come out. The leaders are going to be releasing platforms and engaging in more debates. The natural ebb and flow of an election campaign means it could be a whole different ball game when we get to that point. We're also going to be seeing more polls coming out as well. This certainly isn't the deal breaker at this stage in the game, but it certainly is good news for the Conservatives."

While the PC's support increased, support for Manitoba's Liberals fell. Saunders notes this marks the first real loss in support since the federal Liberal Party formed government, noting another aspect of the poll may indicate the reason for the slump.

"They're going to have to try and recup some of this lost ground. They're in the position now of having to either re-frame some of their policies and get their ideas resonating a little bit more with voters. Also, there's the big issue of their leader. This poll shows that over 40 per cent of respondents didn't know what they thought about Rana Bokhari, that's a big number."

As for the incumbent NDP, she says they really have their work cut out for them in the next two-and-a-half months. Saunders notes they've been struggling in the last several polls, and they'll likely aim to simply retain what seats they can.

"For the NDP it's going to be pulling out all the stops to salvage some kind of minority situation, which I think is all they can really hope for at this stage of the game. Really hoping to try and hang on to some seats, really fighting for those core Winnipeg seats, and hoping that the Liberal vote continues to drop, because that means they'll be able to hang on to more of their votes."

In terms of each party's approach to campaigning, Saunders says they're each taking a different approach. She says the NDP has been focusing on the social policy of the PCs, working to associate them with the Conservative governments of the past, while also aiming to distract from the challenges seen by the NDP over their years as government. She says the Progressive Conservatives will be focusing on the NDP's broken promises, economic records, and the internal divide with ministers questioning Premier Greg Selinger's leadership. She says it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the Liberal platform is, noting the promises seem to focus on a wide variety of issues, resulting in a lack of clear message.