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Rachel Notley's popularity stagnates in pair of online polls

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's approval rating in her home province continues to suffer, according to a new independent poll from the Angus Reid Institute.

Notley's approval rating now sits at 28 per cent, down three per cent from the 31-per-cent approval rating Albertans gave the NDP premier in March, according to the company's latest online survey.

Notley's disapproval rating in the June survey was 62 per cent, concluded the non-partisan research group.

Albertans are increasingly underwhelmed by Notley's performance, said researchers, suggesting that Notley's pipeline politics and the battle to unite Alberta's political right are at play in her declining favour among voters.

Pipeline politics 'front and centre'

"In Alberta, pipeline politics are once again front and centre," Angus Reid executive director Shachi Kurl said in a news release.

"The election result in British Columbia has put the future of the Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline in some doubt.

"Notley has been vigorously defending the project in the name of Alberta's economic interests, but it may not be enough in the face of a renewed, refreshed challenge from a newly-united right-of-centre movement."

Notley's performance puts her tied with Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball as the second least-popular premier in the country.

Ontario's Kathleen Wynne continues to have the lowest approval rating, at 15 per cent.

The nationwide poll was conducted from June 5 to June 12 with a random sample of more than 5,000 Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The Alberta numbers were based on the responses of 599 provincial residents who took part in the poll.

Meanwhile, a separate nationwide survey, which examined approval ratings for Canada's premiers — both in their home provinces and across the country — paints a less than rosy picture of Notley's performance.

That poll, conducted by national public research firm Mainstreet on behalf of Postmedia, put Notley's approval rating at 45 per cent nationally, and 33 per cent in Alberta.

Notley's disapproval rating in that poll came in at 63 per cent in Alberta.

In October, Notley's national approval rating came in at at 44 per cent, and 34 per cent in Alberta.

Mainstreet surveyed 5,525 Canadians October 5 and 6. The national numbers have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.35 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.