Two-thirds of Canadians think Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will stay on to lead the Liberals in the next election despite low approval ratings, a new poll suggests.
Sixty-six percent of Canadians polled by Leger Canada are predicting the prime minister will lead his party into the 2025 election next fall, while the remaining voters say he will change his mind and step down some time this year.
Nine percent said he is likely to resign this summer, while 11 percent predicted it would happen by September. Eight percent said he would throw in the towel by Thanksgiving, and 7 percent said his resignation would occur by Christmas.
Some former and current Liberal MPs have called for Mr. Trudeau to step down as the party trails Conservatives in the polls, especially after the surprise loss in the Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection, in a riding that had been held by the Liberals for over three decades.
Mr. Trudeau has indicated his plan to continue as party leader, despite calls from within his caucus and from former cabinet colleagues to step down.
“I’m in the process of listening to the whole caucus,” Mr. Trudeau said during a July 3 press conference. He said the party’s two main goals were to “make sure we’re continuing our work” while also “connecting with Canadians to make sure we’re continuing to deliver for people.”
The online poll of 1,521 people, conducted between June 28 and June 30, also found just 4 percent of those surveyed strongly approved of Mr. Trudeau’s performance as prime minister. Twenty-three percent said they “somewhat” approved of his leadership while 63 percent disapproved.
The prime minister’s disapproval ratings are highest in the Prairies at 69 percent, and are lowest in Quebec at 55 percent. Sixty-five percent of Ontarians surveyed said they disapproved of Mr. Trudeau, just one percentage point below British Columbia’s 66 percent, but several points higher than Atlantic Canada’s 59 percent.
Conservative voters held the least amount of support for the prime minister with only 8 percent approving of his performance. Of those who traditionally vote Liberal, 76 percent approved of Mr. Trudeau as prime minister compared to 32 percent of NDP supporters.
Despite three out of four Liberal voters approving of his leadership, only 63 percent of those voters wanted Mr. Trudeau to stay on as party leader in the next election.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh have a higher level of support among those who traditionally vote for their parties with the poll showing 82 percent from both groups wanting them on the ballot.
The latest survey results come at a time when the Pierre Poilievre-led Conservatives have a substantial lead over the Liberals in the polls.
A June Leger poll found that 41 percent of Canadians would vote for the Conservatives in the next election, while just 27 percent would vote for the Liberals.
