Poll: Justin Trudeau’s Approval Rate Drops Below 50%

In October 2015, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party decisively won the federal election over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative party. Coming away with 184 seats, Trudeau certainly entered Parliament Hill riding a big wave of momentum.

Now more than two years removed since his election victory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appeal may be waning. According to a new poll conducted by Angus Reid, Trudeau’s national approval rating has slipped below the 50% mark for the first time since entering office.

When asked, “Overall, do you approve or disapprove of Justin Trudeau,” 49% said they disapproved of him. Meanwhile, 46% said they still support Trudeau, while another 4% revealed they didn’t know.

Angus Reid added that even though Trudeau’s approval rating had slipped, it still remains higher than Conservative leader Andrew Scheer (35%) and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (39%). That said, his disapproval rating is also higher than those individuals, while 46% of those polled stated it is “time for a change” in government. Just 32% think the Trudeau-led Liberal party should remain in power.

Justin Trudeau

Across Canada, explained Angus Reid, Trudeau’s approval rating “has fallen by at least 10 percentage points across all regions and age groups since he became Prime Minister.”

What has conceivably led to a shift in Trudeau’s appeal?

Reads a statement by Angus Reid: “This finding comes after a season that has seen Trudeau rebuffed in his efforts to secure a trade deal with China and repeatedly forced to defend Finance Minister Bill Morneau against accusations of unethical behaviour and conflicts of interest. Another area of concern? Public spending. In the quarter that saw this government criticized over the $5.6 million price-tag of a new skating rink on Parliament Hill, one-in-four Canadians (25%) list “the deficit/government spending” as one of the two most important issues facing the country.”

-Adam Grant

On a recent episode of “theZoomer,” host Libby Znaimer was joined by diverse community leaders (David Onley, Cat Criger, Lt. Gen. Richard Rohmer, Dr. Andrea Davis and more) to discuss Canada’s sesquicentennial. You can watch this episode below.