Canadians’ trust in politicians has dropped to a new low, a recently released survey has found.
Confidence in the prime minister is the lowest in the Prairie provinces at 21 percent, a one percent drop from 2023. Twenty-six percent of Ontario and Atlantic Canada residents trust Mr. Trudeau, which is down from 34 percent and 41 percent respectively.
In British Columbia, 27 percent say they trust the leader of the county, a drop from 29 percent the year before. In Quebec, 32 percent indicated they trust Mr. Trudeau, a drop from 38 percent in 2023.
The number of Canadians who trust Conservative leader Pierre Poilieve and NDP’s Jagmeet Singh is tied at 32 percent.
Trust in provincial premiers has risen in several areas of the county, according to the survey results. Overall, about three in 10 Canadians trust their premiers.
Thirty-one percent of those on the prairies trust their premiers, up from 23 percent a year ago. In B.C. that number is at 36 percent, up three percent from 2023, while in Ontario, the number jumps to 37 percent for 2024, up from 30 percent in 2023. Quebec and Atlantic Canada are tied with 38 percent trusting in their premiers, which represents a 5-percent rise in Atlantic Canada and a 4-percent drop for Quebec.
Despite an expressed disappointment in politicians, many Canadians still have faith in the country’s political systems with 50 percent saying the electoral system is “fair.” Yet, less than half of those surveyed—46 percent—said they trusted the electoral system.
The number of people who said the government had value and provided services for Canadians saw a drop of two percent from 2023, to 62 percent. Trust in Parliament has also fallen to 37 percent, from 38 percent in 2023.
Broken down by province, Quebec has the most trust in Parliament at 46 percent, followed by Ontario at 36 percent, the prairies and Atlantic Canada at 33 percent and B.C. at 31 percent.
While 51 percent said they had “some” or “a lot” of confidence that the provincial governments and Ottawa could work together to solve the country’s problems, just two in 10 Canadians trust the government will deliver affordable housing.
The level of anxiety that Canadians have about the economy far outweighs concerns about the pandemic; even during the height of COVID-19, the survey found.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents said the state of the economy has increased stress and anxiety in their lives. The number of those who said they are “economically satisfied” has dropped six points since 2021, to 34 percent.
“Fear of recession, housing costs, and inflation have taken their toll,” the survey authors wrote.
The survey collected data from 1,501 Canadians between Jan. 3 and Jan. 13.
