The latest federal voter intention numbers. (EKOS) The Conservatives and the Liberals remain in a virtual tie when it comes to the intentions of decided voters, a new EKOS poll suggests.

This marked the fourth straight week that the two parties have been deadlocked.

In the poll, which was released exclusively to the CBC on Thursday, the Conservatives drew the support of 31 per cent of respondents, while the Liberals had the support of 29 per cent of those polled.

NDP support was on par with previous weeks at 16 per cent, followed by the Green party at 11 per cent and the Bloc Québécois at 10 per cent.

On the issue of when the next election should be held, Canadians are mixed. Most respondents — 43 per cent — said they do not want an election until the end of the Conservatives' four-year term in 2012. Another 24 per cent of respondents said they would prefer a vote before the end of 2010, while 13 per cent want one as soon as possible and 11 per cent want it within the next four months.

More than two-thirds of Conservative supporters want the government to serve its four-year mandate, while support for an earlier election is higher among opposition party supporters and Canadians under the age of 25.

Conducted between Feb. 3 and Feb. 9, the poll of 3,006 Canadians aged 18 and over has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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