Trudeau Government’s Approval Rating Spikes (48%, +8) as Groundwork Laid for Peaceful Resolution of Blockade Crisis

Toronto, ON, March 11, 2020 — Approval of the performance of the Trudeau government has improved (48%) amidst reports of a peaceful resolution to the rail blockades that have been crippling key transportation corridors in Canada, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News.

Nearly half (48%) of Canadians now approve (9% strongly/39% somewhat) of the performance of the Liberal government under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, up 8 points since last week. Conversely, disapproval has dropped 8 points to 52% (28% strongly/25% somewhat). Ending the standoff has clearly helped to drive this change. Also, the attention of the nation has likely shifted to dealing with the urgent consequences of COVID-19.

Approval ratings continue to be higher in the East than the West. Residents of Ontario (54%) and Quebec (50%) are most likely to approve of the government’s performance, while those in BC (47%) and Atlantic Canada (47%) are just slightly behind. Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (32%) and Alberta (30%) are much less approving – and this situation could get worse as a result of the oil-price decline, which is not reflected in these data.

Negative sentiment towards the protests is beginning to soften. While still a majority, fewer than six in ten (56%, -6) have an unfavourable view (32% very/24% somewhat) of the solidarity protests that have blocked main transportation lines in Canada. Conversely, 26% (+2) have favourable views (8% strongly/18% somewhat) of the protests. Two in ten (18%, +4) are unsure of where their opinions fall.

Unfavourable views are strongest in Alberta (71%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (67%) and British Columbia (63%), while slightly softer in Atlantic Canada (56%), Ontario (53%) and Quebec (47%).

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 6 and 9, 2020, on behalf of  of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1000 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324-2001
[email protected]

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