Provincial and Territorial leaders speak during a press conference in early November (CPAC Image Capture)
The December 2023 Premier approval poll conducted by Angus Reid shows a complete turnaround in Manitoba, with Wab Kinew leading the country at 57 percent approval.
Kinew was elected on October 3rd, defeating former Premier Heather Stephanson, and his numbers appear to show an extended honeymoon phase, following the Throne Speech which included commitments to lowering gas prices and improving health care.
June numbers showed a dead last 25 percent approval for Stephanson, that position now occupied by Quebec Premier François Legault at 31 percent.
Legault’s numbers come as the province is experiencing the closure of 800 schools, with 60,000 teachers walking the picket lines, and he is also staring down the barrel of a province-wide general strike after threats from the unions representing 420,000 public employees in the health, education and social services sectors.
Labour woes aside, there is also backlash over increasing costs for a Quebec City light rail system and government subsidies for preseason NHL games in that city, along with the out-of-province tuition fee increase set to take effect next year.
Saskatechwan’s Scott Moe is also basking in high approval numbers, sitting in 2nd place at 54 percent.
His popularity increase comes as he sets up a showdown with the Trudeau Government following a decision to stop collecting mandated federal carbon taxes on natural gas and elective heating.
Rounding out the middle of the pack is a tie for 3rd place of 48 percent for both Newfoundland and Labrador’s Andrew Furey and Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston, both of whom lost points along with 5th placed BC Premier David Eby.
Pollsters believe Houston lost favour with the public for maintaining the province’s rent cap, going back on the PC’s campaign to do the opposite, notably however the cap doesn’t apply to new leases.
Danielle Smith remained unchanged at 47 percent support in Alberta.
Rounding out the bottom, but still ahead of Legault, is Ontario Premier Doug Ford and New Brunswick’s Blaine Higgs at 34 and 33 percent respectively.
Ford continues to face an RCMP investigation into his government’s handling of the Greenbelt development deal and just last week announced he would be waiving cabinet confidentiality, offering full access to the documents.
Meanwhile, internal division within the PC’s in New Brunswick, the result of Higgs’ socially conservative policies have bothered party faithful, with more than 20 of the party’s riding associations calling for a leadership review earlier this year, and an expected election next October.
No data is available for Prince Edward Island due to its small population preventing the ability to draw discrete samples over multiple waves, according to Angus Reid.
Full details from the survey can be found here.
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