Heading into First Ministers’ Meeting, Popular BC and Quebec Premiers May Hold the Hammer

Toronto, ON, March 12, 2020 — Heading into the First Ministers’ Meeting being held on Friday, the premiers of British Columbia and Quebec might hold the hammer as their popularity levels are by far the highest in the country and significantly surpass that of the Prime Minister within their respective provinces, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of Global News.  

Nationally, 48% of Canadians approve (10% strongly/38% somewhat) of the role Justin Trudeau is playing in moving Canada forward, with Quebecers (52%) and Ontarians (51%) leading the way, followed by those in Atlantic Canada (49%), British Columbia (47%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (37%), and Alberta (34%).

While the national average of how much Canadians approve of their own provincial premier doing their part to move Canada forward is also 48%, some provincial premiers have a far higher approval rating within their own province. Most notably, the premier of British Columbia (63%) enjoys the highest approval ratings in their own province, followed by the premier of Quebec (60%), and the premiers of Atlantic Canada (52%) collectively. The premiers of Alberta (46%), Manitoba and Saskatchewan collectively (45%), and Ontario (34%) receive lower approval ratings from their residents.

% Who Approve of the Way They’re Doing Their Part to Move Canada Forward

In British Columbia, the approval rating of Premier John Horgan is 16-points ahead of that of the Prime Minister. In Quebec, Premier François Legault’s approval rating is 8-points higher than that of the Prime Minister. While neither Premier Jason Kenney nor Prime Minister Trudeau have terribly-high approval ratings in Alberta, that of Kenney outpaces Trudeau’s by 12 points. It is likely that these premiers will feel emboldened in their negotiating positions by their relatively stronger ratings.

Ontario is the one large province tested where fewer approve of the way that their premier is moving Canada forward compared to the Prime Minister. While half (51%) approve of the Prime Minister, just 34% approve of Premier Doug Ford.

Ipsos also examined how other influential actors in Canada are perceived to be doing their part to move Canada forward:

• Half (51%) approve (8% strongly/43% somewhat) of the performance of indigenous leaders in Canada in this regard, while half (49%) disapprove (20% strongly/29% somewhat), placing approval slightly ahead of the 48% that the prime minister has received. Approval with indigenous leaders is highest in Ontario (58%), followed by Quebec (50%), BC (47%), Alberta (47%), Atlantic Canada (46%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (33%).
• Half (51%) also approve (5% strongly/46% somewhat) of the way that large business in Canada is doing their part to move Canada forward, while the other half (49%) disapprove (12% strongly/37% somewhat). Approval of big business (51%) is also slightly higher than the 48% approval received by the prime minister. Approval is significantly higher in Quebec (59%) than in Ontario (51%), BC (48%), Atlantic Canada (46%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (44%) and Alberta (43%).

Indigenous Quality of Life a Priority for Most Canadians

The First Ministers will no doubt have a packed agenda, with myriad critical issues facing the country, including the oil-price shock and COVID-19, along with the economic implications of both. Canada has also been grappling with Indigenous issues, manifested most recently by the blockades of key transportation corridors in British Columbia by supporters of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. Indigenous leaders have been invited to attend the first ministers’ meeting.

Reflecting on Indigenous issues in Canada, six in ten (57%) agree (16% strongly/41% somewhat) that Canadian government treats the country’s Indigenous peoples well (up 2 points since the start of the blockade near Belleville, Ontario), while four in ten (43%) disagree (12% strongly/31% somewhat), down 2 points. Men (61%) are more likely than women (53%) to agree, as are those aged 55+ (66%) compared to those aged 35-54 (52%) or 18-34 (51%). Regionally, those in Alberta (69%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (68%) and Atlantic Canada (65%) are most likely to agree, followed by those in BC (63%), Ontario (52%), and Quebec (51%).

But most Canadians are also clear that more needs to be done, and urgently. Three-quarters (74%) of Canadians agree (27% strongly/47% somewhat) that the federal government must act now to help raise the quality of life of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, down 1 point. One quarter (26%) disagree (9% strongly/17% somewhat) that the government must act now, up 1 point. Once again, significant regional variation exists: residents of Ontario (82%) and Quebec (79%) are most inclined to agree, followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (70%), Alberta (64%), British Columbia (62%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (54%).

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 6 and 9, 2020, on behalf 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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