Canadians think Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is the best person to lead the country — including Ontarians, where the voter-rich Greater Toronto Area has largely handed victory to the Trudeau Liberals in the last two federal elections.
The Ipsos poll for Global News was conducted from Sept. 19-20 and surveyed over 1,000 Canadian adults.
Of the respondents, 35% said Poilievre is the best candidate for prime minister, while Trudeau fell four points behind at 31%.
Trudeau’s support was strongest in BC, where he was only two points ahead of Poilievre at 38%. Trudeau was also ahead in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, but he otherwise fell behind the new Tory leader.
That includes Ontario, where Poilievre had 41% support compared to 34% for Trudeau.
In the last two federal elections, former Conservative leaders Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole could not break through to GTA voters. Despite the prairie provinces overwhelmingly electing Conservative MPs, and the Tories winning the popular vote, the Conservatives failed to government because GTA and Quebec voters chose the Liberals.
Earlier this month, Poilievre was crowned Official Opposition leader after winning the Conservative party leadership race on the first ballot with 68% of voters’ support.
He ran for leadership on promises to tackle inflation and the cost of living crisis. In the two weeks since his election, the Liberals appear to have caved to opposition pressure by ending their controversial ArriveCan app and all other federal travel restrictions, including a two-week quarantine for unvaccinated travellers entering Canada.
Despite Trudeau’s unpopularity with Canadians, the tone-deaf prime minister plans to remain leader of the Liberal party for the next federal election. Trudeau told his cabinet ministers at their Vancouver retreat that he looks forward to winning a fourth term as prime minister.
He reportedly said he’s energized to face the challenges in Canada, including the massive cost of living crisis spurred partly by his reckless use of the government coffers.
In August, Abacus data found that approval for the Trudeau government dropped to its lowest point since he became prime minister in 2015. Most Canadians polled by the left-leaning company also said they have a negative view of Trudeau.
The poll found that 51% of Canadians disapprove of the Trudeau government’s performance. Another 51% also have a negative view of Trudeau — the highest number the pollster has ever recorded.
The Ipsos poll is accurate to within plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
