Updated: Thu Oct. 29 2009 5:31:35 PM

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Most Canadians believe the Harper government is unfairly doling out billions of dollars in stimulus cash to favour Conservative ridings, a new poll suggests.

But the survey by The Canadian Press Harris-Decima indicates they don't want the money to stop flowing because of that.

The poll also suggests the government's multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded ad blitz to promote its stimulus plan doesn't seem to be giving people enough information.

Less than a third of respondents said they were aware of any stimulus projects underway in their areas.

That's despite the $34 million the Tories have spent to promote their Economic Action Plan and a recent political hoopla over the Conservative use of signage.

About 29 per cent of respondents said they knew of local stimulus projects, while 51 per cent knew of none in their neighbourhoods.

Fifty-six per cent said they were inclined to believe the Conservatives have been handing out stimulus money unfairly, favouring Tory ridings. But when asked if they thought the spending practices should be stopped, just 46 per cent said Yes.

About 34 per cent said the distribution of funds is evidence that some MPs are working harder to land new projects for their ridings, and "that's just how things work" in Ottawa.

"This disparity suggests to me that this issue is not the political bombshell the Liberals have been looking for," said Doug Anderson, senior vice-president for Harris-Decima.

"For good or ill, Canadians seem to be resigned to this practice, exhibit little animosity toward it and maybe accept a modicum of this as business as usual."

That attitude didn't stop Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy from releasing another load of data Thursday. He argued that yet another stimulus fund has been distributed in a way to favour Conservative ridings.

He looked at $1.4 billion handed out in seven provinces through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, meant to help universities and colleges with their building needs.

He found that on a per-student basis, the fund favoured smaller, usually private post-secondary institutions, mainly in Western Canada in ridings held by Conservatives.

Colleges and universities in Conservative ridings received 33 per cent more funding per student, he found.

"Our students all deserve a chance to study for the jobs of tomorrow no matter who they voted for," said Kennedy.

"Canadians are rightly offended that their tax dollars are funding pork-barrel politics that puts partisan gain ahead of public need."

The biggest winner of the funding was St. Peter's College in the Saskatoon-Humboldt riding held by Conservative MP Brad Trost. The fund provided more than $6 million to an institution with 150 students, a contribution worth more than $40,000 per head, Kennedy said.

Politics have always played a role in the handing out of government largesse, and that's probably why people aren't as offended as the Liberals are hoping, said political scientist Donald Savoie at the University of Moncton.

"Does politics play a role in it? Absolutely. It played a role in the past. It's playing a role now. And it will play a role in the future."

Politicians and the public alike have come to believe that it is an MP's job to bring home the bacon, he added. If the public thinks this is wrong, then there should be a rethinking of how better to define an MP's job, and how better to put restrictions on spending programs so that they can't be politicized.

"It speaks to a much deeper problem," Savoie said.

Officials in the office of Industry Minister Tony Clement, who handles the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, did not immediately return calls.

The poll of just over 1,000 people was conducted Oct. 22-26 and is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20. It can be found at http://www.harrisdecima.ca/