Barack Obama more popular with Canadians than Stephen Harper

Canada's love affair with U.S. President Barack Obama continues, even at the expense of our prime minister.

An Abacus Data survey released Monday found 55 per cent of Canadians think Obama deserves to be re-elected in the November 2012 presidential election.

By comparison, the Harper government's most recent approval rating is pegged at only 43 per cent.

Obama's popularity in Canada is somewhat surprising given his diminishing profile in his own country.

The U.S. president is battling a record deficit, high unemployment and is at loggerheads with elements of the Republican party in Congress.

Canadians' antipathy towards the previous Republican administration under George W. Bush likely boosts Obama's popularity in Canada

A 2008 Canadian Press/Harris Decima study found 42 per cent of respondents called Bush one of the worst presidents in U.S. history, while 23 per cent said he was the "absolute" worst.

The Bush/Cheney administration's Iraq war, its 'you're either with us or against us' mentality, and its apparent mismanagement of the U.S. economy likely left a sour taste in Canadian political mouths.

Obama's policies, says Abacus Data CEO Dave Coletto, are in lock-step with Canadian public opinion.

"Canadians are just more likely to like Obama," he told the Toronto Sun, adding we have less at stake when he fumbles.

Indeed, despite the "Buy America" provisions proposed under the Obama administration, Canadians seem more inclined to agree with its political direction with regard to health care and increasing taxes on the rich.

And then there's Iraq and his administration's decision to drop the number of U.S. troops at the end of the year to 3,000. Many Canadians believe the Iraq war was unnecessary.

Obama's proposed $450 billion jobs initiative also seems to better align with this country's core social values and beliefs.

The Abacus survey also found 46 per cent of Canadians are paying attention to the political race across the border, with 11 per cent following it closely.

"You can't ignore the largest trading partner, you can't ignore what's probably still the most powerful country on Earth," Coletto said.

The online poll surveyed 1,013 people Sept. 23-26. There is a 3.1 per cent margin of error, 19 times out of 20.

(Reuters Photo)