Majority of Canadians Want an Early Election, More Than 75 Percent Want a Change in Governing Party: Poll

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon depart after Dominic LeBlanc, not shown, was sworn in as finance minister during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ont., on Dec. 16, 2024. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP, File

Support for an early election has grown since early December, with more than half of Canadians now in favour, a new poll suggests. The increase comes after a tumultuous week for the minority Liberal government, with the resignation of Chrystia Freeland from cabinet and calls from the caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down.

Fifty-three percent of Canadians say opposition parties should bring down the government and trigger an election at the earliest opportunity, reflecting a seven-point increase since the beginning of the month, according to a Dec. 20 Ipsos poll. Meanwhile, 77 percent of Canadians said they want another party in government, unchanged since early December.

The Liberals have been trailing the Conservatives in the polls for months. Popular vote for the Liberals currently stands at 20 percent, one of the lowest shares since 2011, when support for then-leader Michael Ignatieff fell to 19 percent, the polling agency said. The NDP ties the Liberals at 20 percent, while the Conservatives have a 25-point lead among decided voters.

Earlier this week, the Conservatives won the byelection in Cloverdale–Langley City in B.C. in a landslide. The riding was previously held by the Liberals.

The Liberals lost two long-time strongholds in byelections this year—Toronto–St. Paul’s to the Conservatives in June, and LaSalle–Émard–Verdun in Montreal to the Bloc Québécois in September. In another byelection held in September in the NDP stronghold of Elmwood–Transcona in Winnipeg, the New Democrats held on to their seat.

A survey earlier this week found that Trudeau and the Liberal government have hit an all-time low in public opinion since coming to power in 2015, with 67 percent of Canadians saying the prime minister should step down. The survey was conducted from Dec. 16 to 17, and was meant to gauge public opinion following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday.

Trudeau has been facing pressure from his own caucus, with some MPs renewing calls for him to step down and others, who were silent on the issue, now speaking out.

Trudeau has not commented on the latest calls for his resignation, but compared the recent unrest to a “family” disagreement during an address at the national Liberal caucus’ holiday party in Ottawa Dec. 17.

According to the Dec. 20 Ipsos poll, 14 percent of Canadians say Trudeau is best suited to deal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian products when he takes office in January unless Canada addresses the flow of illegal immigration and drugs across the southern border.

Nearly 40 percent of Canadians say Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is best equipped to deal with the incoming Trump administration, according to the Dec. 20 poll.

Noé Chartier and Jeff Sandes contributed to this report.