Polls: Conservatives far ahead of ruling Liberals in Canada

Toronto: Canada's Conservative Party appeared to gain strength in its quest to end 13 years of Liberal Party rule as campaigning for national elections entered its final week.

Opinion polls show that Stephen Harper's opposition Conservatives were holding an advantage of 8 and 13 percentage points over Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal Party a gap that analysts say will be very difficult for the ruling party to overcome by January 23, when voters will cast ballots for the 308-seat House of Commons.

In November, Martin's minority government was forced to call elections after it lost a no-confidence vote. Opponents have accused the Liberals of corruption and broken promises, themes that have resonated with voters.

"I think the Liberals are doing everything they can to do turn it around, but the reality is that we're at the point right now where only Stephen Harper can lose this election," said Nik Nanos, president of SES Research, a polling and management consulting group in Toronto, whose latest poll put Conservatives ahead by eight points.