Less than half of Canadians are able to recognize key members of the federal cabinet, according to a new Abacus poll.
Meanwhile, just 20 percent recognized Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, 19 percent recognized Treasury Board President Anita Anand, 4 percent recognized Housing Minister Sean Fraser, and 4 percent recognized Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc.
“These results clearly indicated that none of these people are well-known, household names,” said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto. “The vast majority of Canadians cannot literally pick them out of a lineup.”
Among current supporters of the Liberal government, recognition of the cabinet members was similar. The same number recognized Ms. Freeland—39 percent—while a slightly higher percentage identified Ms. Joly (26 percent), Ms. Anand (14 percent), Mr. Carney (10 percent), Mr. Fraser (8 percent), and Mr. Leblanc (7 percent).
When it came to the leaders of the various federal parties, the survey found that 98 percent could recognize a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while 84 percent recognized NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, 66 percent recognized Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, 47 percent recognized Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and 20 percent recognized Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.
Mr. Coletto called the results a “stark reminder” that much of Canadian politics “can be in a bubble” and an indication of “how little familiarity” Canadians have with politicians who are not party leaders. He also noted that even among Liberal supporters, many had failed to identify possible contenders if Mr. Trudeau were to step down as prime minister.
With the Liberal Party trailing the Conservatives in the polls for the past year, coupled with a recent surprise byelection loss in a previously safe Toronto riding, there have been calls among some current and former Liberal MPs for Mr. Trudeau to step down. These include former Liberal cabinet ministers Catherine McKenna and Wayne Easter, and Liberal MP Wayne Long. Mr. Trudeau has repeatedly indicated he will not resign as leader.
Mr. Coletto said the survey results indicate that a cabinet shuffle would not change “a single thing for the Liberals in terms of public opinion,” given that “most Canadians have no idea who is in cabinet, what someone in cabinet does, and why a different cabinet might lead to different policies or outcomes.”
The pollster said many Canadians are unable to separate how they feel about the Liberals from how they feel about Mr. Trudeau himself. He noted that 78 percent of Canadians with a positive view of the federal government also have a positive view of the prime minister, while the opposite is true for 91 percent of Canadians.