Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Shawn Skinner says the government needs to settle the Muskrat Falls issue if it's going to stop its slide in the polls.

Skinner is one of the panelists on this week's edition of On Point with David Cochrane.

He says controversy over the proposed hydroelectric megaproject is preventing the government from focusing on the rest of its agenda.

Skinner says that's a big reason why support for the Tories and Premier Kathy Dunderdale has been declining.

"Make no mistake, there is concern about the numbers," Skinner said. "I'm convinced of that, from the Progressive Conservative party's perspective. But they are still relatively good numbers."

He says that six in 10 people remain basically satisfied with the job being done by the government.

"I think once they move beyond Muskrat Falls — because I think that's consuming so much of their time and energy — so they can attend to other issues that needed to be attended to, I think you'll see some change in that. I don't think the trend will continue."

Corporate Research Associates reported Thursday in its latest quarterly poll that the Progressive Conservatives have the support of 45 per cent of decided voters, the third drop in a row and well down from the 60 per cent recorded last November.

Dunderdale's numbers are also down, and trail her party. She is the choice of 37 per cent of poll respondents as preferred premier.