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Canadian premiers’ approval ratings take hit, poll finds

 

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger reads his government's speech from the throne at a news conference in Winnipeg on November 20, 2014. Selinger is expected to shuffle his cabinet this afternoon following a leadership challenge that he barely survived. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger reads his government's speech from the throne at a news conference in Winnipeg on November 20, 2014. Selinger is expected to shuffle his cabinet this afternoon following a leadership challenge that he barely survived. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Canadian premiers are losing public support with three of the least popular leaders representing Manitoba, New Brunswick and British Columbia, a new poll finds.

Even Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall, who holds onto the mantle of Canada’s most popular premier, hit a four-year low, according to an an Angus Reid survey released Monday.

“For a lot of these premiers, the honeymoon is truly well and over,” Angus Reid senior vice-president Shachi Kurl said. “And so you do get a bit of the mid-term doldrums.”

Wall, who is heading into an election in 2016, has the support of 61 per cent in the province, down from 64 per cent in March and 68 per cent in September.

“Wall has hit a four-year lull,” Kurl said. “He’s dealing with the effects of changing economy and lower oil prices.”

He’s not the only premier taking a hit. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil’s approval has dropped six percentage points in the last three months to 37 per cent from 43 per cent. One-third of Ontarians support Premier Kathleen Wynne, down from 36 per cent in March, while B.C. Premier Christy Clark’s popularity has dropped to 30 per cent from 33 per cent.

But none has lost more support than New Brunswick’s Brian Gallant, first sworn in as premier in October. The rookie premier's support plummeted 13 percentage points to 27 per cent in June from 40 per cent in March — a shift Kurl calls “striking and jarring.”

Angus Reid suggests the Liberal premier’s austerity budget is to blame for the drop. With a projected deficit of $476.8 million, the Liberals raised taxes, hiked gas prices, increased nursing home fees, laid off teachers and shuttered courthouses.

Still, none of that should come as a surprise to New Brunswickers, as Gallant campaigned on the changes he’s made.

“Here was someone who galvanized the New Brunswick electorate,” Kurl said. “But were (voters) making a decision based on Gallant as a person, the politician? Or were they making a decision based on the policies he was campaigning on? It may be the case that people are starting to clue in to what they signed up for.”

Rachel Notley, who led the NDP to a crushing and historic victory in Alberta in May, has the support of 53 per cent of her constituents, making her the second most popular provincial leader.

But slumping oil prices and plans to hike corporate and personal income taxes could soon put a dent in her popularity, the pollster said.

“Is she going to see the same kind of backlash or spectacular drop in the next quarter if she implements the changes that she campaigned on and received a mandate for?” Kurl said.

The only premier on an upward trend is Quebec’s Philippe Couillard, who went up four percentage points since March to reach 39 per cent approval.

The approval ratings of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Paul Davis and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger have remained statistically unchanged, at 39 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.

Selinger, who survived an attempted ouster by members of his own cabinet earlier this year, holds onto the title of Canada’s least popular premier.

Angus Reid surveyed 6,291 Canadians between May 26 and June 7, with a margin of error of 1.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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