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George W. Bush’s popularity grows in the United States, not so much in Canada

'They' were right: Time does heal all wounds.

On Thursday, George W. Bush will take part in a dedication ceremony for his presidential library as part of a storied American tradition whereby former presidents donate and exhibit their documents, artifacts and gifts of state from their time in office.

Ahead of the ceremony, it appears that the much maligned president is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. In fact, according to The Hill, Bush and current President Barack Obama now have the same approval rating.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Tuesday shows 47 percent approve of Bush, with 50 percent disapproving. When Bush left office in 2009 after his second term, his approval rating was 33 percent positive to 66 percent negative, one of the lowest figures among presidents.

Among registered voters, the former president’s approval rating of 47 is equal to that of Obama’s in the last Post-ABC poll.

The numbers are little surprising considering Bush's record: There was the Iraq war, his lackluster record on the environment and that 'little' financial crisis that contributed to the largest world economic slowdown since the Great Depression. But it seems that a lot of Americans are focusing on the positive.

[ Related: Bush, like past presidents, faces scrutiny over his library’s version of history ]

The same might not be true in Canada, according to Abacus Data pollster David Coletto.

Coletto says that he hasn't seen any recent polling on Bush in Canada but offered this U.S. politico popularity poll from November 2012.

George W Bush
Canada - Favourable 11% / Neutral 16% / Unfavourable 70% / Don't know 3%

Bill Clinton
Canada - Favourable 58% / Neutral 22% / Unfavourable 17% / Don't know 3%

Hillary Clinton
Canada - Favourable 58% / Neutral 23% / Unfavourable 14% / Don't know 4%

Barack Obama
Canada - Favourable 81% / Neutral 8% / Unfavourable 10% / Don't know 2%

Coletto doesn't think anything would have changed in the past six months.

"George W. Bush has never had a large following of admirers in Canada and I don't think that has changed since he left office in 2009," he told Yahoo! Canada News.

"A large majority of Canadians, including those who vote Conservative here, were opposed to much of what he did as President so I don't think you would see much of a bump in his popularity in Canada."

[ Related: Out of the spotlight, George W. Bush’s ‘hometown’ struggles to survive ]

Last Fall, Angus Reid pollster Mario Canseco told Yahoo! that, historically, Canadians just just don't like Republicans.

"We've always hated Republican presidents," Canseco said.

"Bush was disliked. Reagan was a controversial figure because of his relationship with Mulroney. And we all knew what Nixon thought about Trudeau."

Bush lovers in both Canada and the United States need not despair, however. Former Florida Governor — and George W.'s brother — Jeb Bush has said he's considering a presidential run in 2016.

Note: The Abacus Data survey was conducted online with 1,066 respondents in English and French using an internet survey programmed and collected by Abacus Data. A random sample of panelists was invited to participate in the survey who are members of a representative panel of over 150,000 Canadians. The survey was completed from November 9 to 11, 2012.

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