Justin Trudeau’s approval rating just keeps slipping lower

Canadians are not very happy with Justin Trudeau’s leadership according to new polling that found the once-popular Prime Minister’s approval rating remains low after a number of recent political blunders both at home and abroad. 

Leger is the largest Canadian-owned market research and analytics company operating in Canada according to the organization and recent polling from the group discovered that a majority of Canadians were dissatisfied with Trudeau. 

Only 30% of the 1,612 Canadians surveyed between November 10th and 12th said that they were satisfied with Trudeau and his government. 63% told Leger pollsters they were dissatisfied with the Prime Minister and his government. 

Just over a quarter of respondents (27%) thought Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre would be the best Prime Minister among the country’s current candidates. This put the opposition leader far ahead of Trudeau’s number. 

Less than one-fifth of respondents thought Trudeau was the best person to fill the role of Prime Minister, a number that reflects the dwindling approval the PM has seen over the last few months after a series of major political blunders. 

At home, Trudeau is suffering from issues that a number of leaders all around the world are dealing with—namely, high cost of living problems coupled with housing prices that are out of control. However, the issues are worse in Canada. 

A good indication of the major financial issues that Canadians are facing can be found in the skyrocketing cost of rent in the country. In November report, Rental.ca noted that rent in Canada for a two-bedroom apartment reached $2329.00. 

Canada’s cost of living crisis coupled with the recent home heating scandal that saw the Prime Minister pause the government’s carbon tax on home heating oil have changed opinions on Trudeau’s effectiveness as the country’s leader. 

This was evident in the polling data from Leger, which found that 61% of individuals had a negative view of Trudeau. The main issues that affected their opinions were the PM’s handling of home affordability and the high inflation crisis. 

“After eight years in office, too many people are just finished with him. He’s a big part of the problem and there’s little faith he can get focused on the things they care about.” the CEO of Abacus Data David Coletto told the Toronto Star. 

Toronto Star National Columnist Susan Delacourt presented a collection of data on the Prime Minister's unpopularity on November 5th, data which included polling figures from Abacus Data revealing that 53% of people had a negative impression of Trudeau. 

“The data suggests there’s very little the Liberals can do themselves to make them more electable at the moment. Enough people have decided they want change,” explained David Coletto. This was something Leger also found. 

Just over half of those surveyed (51%) said that they wanted Trudeau to step down as the leader of the Liberal Party to make way for someone else before the next election. But that wasn’t the worst finding Leger revealed. 

72% of Conservative Party voters told the market research company that after nine years and three mandates, it was time for the country to try something new with the role of Prime Minister. This may be why so many are looking for a change. 

Politico’s Nick Taylor-Vaisley noted that Trudeau has repeatedly said he intends to run as the Liberal leader in a fourth campaign but added that only two Prime Ministers had ever won a fourth four campaigns in a row. 

“The Liberals have built an entire party brand around their leader,” President of Angus Reid Institute Shachi Kurl told Politico. “Justin Trudeau is the Liberal Party. How do they rebrand in time for the next general election?” A worrying question for a struggling party.