As provincial legislatures wind down for the year, the holiday season offers a chance to reassess and regroup for provincial leaders. Angus Reid data shares insights into what voters think of their leaders.
While Premiers Scott Moe and Wab Kinew enjoy majority approval, here are more dour assessments for Premiers Doug Ford and Blaine Higgs, who are in familiar low-approval territory as 2023 comes to an end. However, they are joined by an unfamiliar face: Quebec Premier François Legault, whose approval has declined 16 points from last quarter. Currently, just 31 per cent say they approve of Legault.
The RCMP continues its investigation into the Ford government’s Greenbelt development deal, with Ford announcing last week that he will waive cabinet confidentiality and offer full access to documents. Ford also met with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow on Nov. 27 to announce a “game-changing” multi-billion-dollar deal between the province and the city. The province will reportedly take over responsibility for two highways and increase housing funding, leaving the city in a much better financial position. Through all this, Ford’s personal approval remains low, at 34 per cent.
New Brunswick Premier and Progressive Conservative Party leader Blaine Higgs continues to rank near the bottom of the premier approval list. One-in-three (33%) approve of him this quarter, as his party continues to face “internal division” based on its vision and agenda.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Premier Andrew Furey is approved of by 48 per cent of constituents this quarter. The same percentage of Nova Scotians approve of their premier Tim Houston (48%). Meanwhile British Columbia Premier David Eby’s approval rating remains consistent at 46 per cent.
Danielle Smith’s term as Alberta premier has been an eventful one as her government explores withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan and is also restructuring the province’s health-care system. While pushing forward on those two initiatives, Smith and the UCP activated the province’s “nuclear option” in response to federal government policies on net zero electricity, the Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act. Ostensibly, the act allows the province to ignore federal laws or programs that Alberta’s government believes would hurt the province. Politically, the events of the recent quarter have had little impact on assessments of Smith in Alberta, who draws the approval of 47 per cent, identical to the number registered in September.
Canada’s newest premier is also Canada’s most approved of provincial leader (57%). In his first throne speech, Wab Kinew promised to cut health care wait times and convert thousands of homes to geothermal energy, among other priorities. He also lamented that the province may be in a worse financial position than formally stated by the previous Progressive Conservative government.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe is setting up a showdown with the federal government over a decision to stop collecting the federally mandated carbon levy on both natural gas and electric heating. Moe stated that the decision was in response to perceived unfairness from the federal government, which exempted heating oil from the carbon tax in October. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he “expect(s) all Canadians to follow the law”, but the federal government has yet to take any measures to prevent Moe’s actions. The Saskatchewan Party leaders sees his approval rebound four points to 54 per cent.
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Nov. 24 – Dec. 1, 2023, among a representative randomized sample of 3,749 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
Note: Because its small population precludes drawing discrete samples over multiple waves, data on Prince Edward Island is not released.
