Two thirds of Canadians believe the Maxime Bernier affair is an important issue, and 45 per cent think Prime Minister Stephen Harper has done a good job of handling the matter, according to a new poll.

The House of Commons public safety committee is holding hearings on the scandal, but Bernier and Harper have said they will not appear.

According to a Strategic Counsel survey, 66 per cent of Canadians feel the Bernier affair is important. But 67 per cent also feel the scandal has had no impact on their impression of the Harper government.

"I think that's because a lot of people, both those who love them and hate them, have made up their minds about the various political parties," Peter Donolo of the Strategic Counsel told CTV.ca on Tuesday.

"To a certain extent, those who are inclined to be anti-Harper would have their views reinforced by this. Those inclined to be pro-Harper would like him in spite of it, or would say he's handled it well."

Bernier resigned as foreign affairs minister on May 26, hours before his ex-girlfriend Julie Couillard revealed he had left classified documents in her apartment in mid-April.

Harper has said the relationship between Bernier and Couillard is not a matter of national security and has dismissed the committee hearings as a "partisan circus."

The survey suggested Canadians are split on Harper's handling of the issue:

• Total good job: 45 per cent
• Very good job: 4 per cent
• Good job: 41 per cent
• Poor job: 30 per cent
• Very poor job: 12 pre cent
• Total poor job: 42 per cent

Meanwhile, the poll suggests support for the Conservatives continues to slip from a recent high of 39 per cent in February, now putting the party within just two points of the Liberals.

Most of those lost votes appear to have bled to the NDP (percentage-point change from a May 8-11 poll in brackets):

• Conservatives: 32 per cent (-2)
• Liberals: 30 per cent (-1)
• New Democrats: 18 per cent (+2)
• Bloc Quebecois: 10 per cent (+1)
• Green Party: 10 per cent (same)

Part of that drop appears to be connected to economic concerns in central Canada, especially in Ontario, where the manufacturing sector continues to suffer from a high Canadian dollar and soaring gas prices.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has engaged in a war of words with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in recent months, over whether the federal government has done enough to help Ontario's economy.

"The sense that the Harper government doesn't care about their economy is a problem for the Conservatives, and I think it's grown out of Flaherty taking on the McGuinty government in a very confrontational manner," said Donolo.

In Ontario, poll results suggest only 10 per cent of people feel the economy is getting stronger, while 54 per cent feel it's getting worse -- higher than any other region in the country. Nationally, 12 per cent think the economy is improving, and 44 per cent think it's getting worse.

Support for the Conservatives in Ontario continues to drop (percentage-point change from a May 8-11 poll in brackets):

• Liberals: 39 per cent (-1)
• Conservatives: 31 per cent (-4)
• New Democrats: 18 per cent (+4)
• Green Party: 12 per cent (+1)

In March, the Conservatives had led the Liberals in Ontario by three points at 37 per cent support.

Meanwhile, concerns of a recession continue to rise across Canada. Most respondents felt a recession was likely within the next six months (percentage-point change from an April 10-13 poll in brackets):

• Total likely: 57 per cent (+12)
• Very likely: 12 per cent (+3)
• Somewhat likely: 45 per cent (+9)
• Somewhat unlikely: 30 per cent (-5)
• Very unlikely: 9 per cent (-7)
• Total unlikely: 39 per cent (-12)

Technical notes

• The poll was conducted between June 6-9 by The Strategic Counsel for CTV and The Globe and Mail.
• The national sample size is 1,000 people and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
• The Ontario sample size is 383 people and the margin of error is plus or minus 5.0 percentage points.
• Results are based on tracking among a proportionate national sample of Canadians 18 years of age or older.