Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s popularity rating has dropped below 50 per cent, finds Angus Reid Institute. A new survey suggests that the prime minister’s approval rating sits at 46 per cent.
For the first time since the 2015 election, the Angus Reid Institute’s quarterly analysis of polling data finds Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval below one-half.
And, for the first time, more Canadians-49 % say they actually disapprove of his performance.This finding comes after a season that has seen Trudeau rebuffed in his efforts to secure a trade deal with China and repeatedly forced to defend Finance Minister Bill Morneau against accusations of unethical behaviour and conflicts of interest. The season has also seen his government secure an agreement with the provinces on marijuana taxation and a pair of byelection victories for his Liberal Party in ridings vacated by Conservative Party MPs.
It’s not good news, but there is a silver lining for Trudeau.He’s still fairing better than the competition.
The poll pegs the approval rate for the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh at 39 %, with 29 % of respondents suggesting they don’t know what to think of the newest party leader.But the worst news is for the Conservatives.On the heels of a big loss in the South Surrey-White Rock by-election on Monday, leader Andrew Scheer’s approval sits at just 35%.
A trend that emerged in 2017 continues to close out the year. That is, a growing percentage of Canadians saying they believe it is “time for a change” in government. This quarter’s data is not as dramatic as September’s, but it’s worth noting that the proportion of Canadians saying it’s time for a change versus those who say it isn’t has held firm. Almost half (46%) say they would make a change, while one-in-three (32%) say that they wouldn’t. Roughly one-in-five say that they aren’t sure at this point, just under two years away from the next scheduled election.
