The Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply agreement has been successful in keeping the Liberal minority government in power – and Canadians away from ballot boxes for now – but the reviews are mixed if it is helping the government get things done.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians lean slightly towards believing the government is operating poorly (46%) under the agreement than well (41%).
Discontent with what the government is getting accomplished under the NDP-Liberal agreement is higher among past Conservative voters (85%), but past Liberal (73%) and NDP supporters (59%) are both satisfied at majority levels.
Meantime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sees his approval dip to a low since the 2021 election – 36 per cent. Sliding approval from past Liberal (74%) and NDP voters (46%) is pulling down appraisal of the prime minister after an end-of-2022 bump that pushed the Liberal leader to 43 per cent.
Trudeau’s rival, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, is in no better shape when it comes to evaluation by Canadians. Half (50%) view Poilievre unfavourably, while his favourability matches Trudeau’s approval at 36 per cent. However, there are more Canadians – 59 per cent – who say they have a negative view of the prime minister than Poilievre.
Perhaps no measure better shows the current division between the two leading parties than the fact that, overall, just three per cent of Canadians hold a positive view of the parties’ two leaders. More – one-in-five (19%) – view both men in a negative light.
