(EKOS poll)

The Conservatives and Liberals remain virtually deadlocked in voter support, as neither party has been able to take a significant lead over the other in the past five weeks, according to a new EKOS poll.

But the poll also suggests more Canadians believe the government is heading in the wrong direction (48.2 per cent) than the right direction (41 per cent).

The poll, released exclusively to CBC News on Thursday, asked Canadians which party they would vote for if an election were held tomorrow. While the Tories have a slight lead over the Liberals, the difference falls within the margin of error.

The poll found 31.2 per cent would support the Conservatives, compared with 29 per cent who would back the Liberals.

The poll also found that 16.5 per cent of Canadians would vote for the NDP, 11.8 per cent for the Green Party and 8.8 per cent for the Bloc Québécois.

The Tories remain strong in the West and appear to have gained back some of the support they had lost in Ontario, given how close they are to a tie with the Liberals.

While the Liberals trail the Bloc in Quebec, they continue to lead the Tories.

Alberta residents are most likely to agree that the government is headed in the right direction compared with those living in Quebec.

The random survey of 3,600 Canadians aged 18 and over was conducted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 16 and claims a margin of error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.