Liberal Party Losing Support From Both Muslims and Jews Amid Gaza Conflict: Poll

Pro-Palestinian protesters hold a rally in downtown Toronto on Dec. 23, 2023. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Support for the Liberal Party among both Jews and Muslims is declining in response to the Gaza conflict between Hamas and Israel, according to a new poll.

Canadian Muslims now favour the NDP over the Liberals, while Canadian Jews are more supportive of the Conservatives, according to the Angus Reid Institute poll released May 16. Among both groups, the Liberals placed second, around 10 points behind the leading party.

A majority of both Jews and Muslims say the Liberal government’s response to the conflict in Gaza has been poor, especially its role in standing up for international laws, according to the polling firm.

Some 51 percent of Muslims surveyed said their opinion of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had worsened recently, while some, including Muslim donors, have withdrawn their support over the government not taking a harder stance against Israel in the Gaza conflict.

Similarly, nearly half of Jews surveyed said their opinion of Mr. Trudeau deteriorated as incidents of anti-Semitism have increased since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, which precipitated the Gaza conflict.

A report released earlier this year by B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, said nearly 5,800 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in 2023, from less than 2,200 the prior year.

The group’s director of research, Richard Robertson, said the number was the highest recorded by his association since it began keeping records in 1982.

Despite moving to the Tories, Jews have a somewhat negative opinion of party leader Pierre Poilievre, according to Angus Reid, but still prefer him to Mr. Trudeau.

Among Muslims, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has favourable support, while none of the groups surveyed had a positive view of Mr. Trudeau overall.

Overall, the Tories enjoyed the largest share of support from Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Jews, and those with no religious affiliation, with only Muslims largely favouring the NDP, which has taken a harder stance against Israel.

It is unclear what effect the trends will have on the next election, as Jews make up just 0.9 percent of the Canadian population.

Muslims, the fastest-growing religious group in the country according to Statistics Canada, account for 4.9 percent of Canadians, compared with just 2 percent in 2001. The growth largely comes from immigration.