Canada’s newest premier is also its most popular. Manitoba’s Wab Kinew is enjoying a post-election honeymoon with the highest approval rating among the country’s provincial leaders, closely followed by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, according to a new Angus Reid poll.
Mr. Kinew, who led the NDP to a majority government in Manitoba’s Oct. 3 election, received a 57 percent approval rating from poll respondents while 54 percent said they approve of Mr. Moe’s leadership, up four points over the previous quarter.
The 41-year-old’s decisive victory unseated Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative Party, which had held two consecutive majority governments in the province.
The poll suggests Mr. Kinew may be enjoying a “post-election honeymoon” period, noting that his popularity is built on promises thus far. In his throne speech, he vowed to cut health care wait times and convert thousands of homes to geothermal energy; promises that apparently resonated with voters.
While 16 percent of those surveyed in Manitoba said they weren’t sure how to rate Mr. Kinew—the highest uncertainty rate across all of the provinces—only three percent were unsure about Mr. Moe’s Sask. Party government.
The Saskatchewan premier’s carbon tax “showdown” with the federal government and his subsequent decision to stop collecting the federally mandated carbon levy on home heating was cited by Angus Reid as a likely reason for his jump in popularity.
Legault Plummets 16 Points
At the other end of the spectrum, Quebec Premier François Legault took last place in the approval ratings, coming in at 31 percent, a 16-point drop since the previous quarter.
“The fall winds have blown bitter and cold for Premier Legault,” the Angus Reid report says.
It cites the teachers’ strike that has kept Quebec’s schools closed since Nov. 23 and the threat of a province-wide general strike by Front Commun, which represents 420,000 public employees, including health, education, and social services workers, as major issues for Mr. Legault.
“The labour action isn’t the only biting headwind Legault is facing, as he deals with backlash over new out-of-province tuition fees at Quebec postsecondary schools, criticism over government subsidies for pre-season NHL games in Quebec City, and headaches surrounding the ballooning cost of a light rail system for Quebec City,” the report reads. “All this adds to flagging approval for the once popular premier.”
Ford and Higgs Poll Low
New Brunswick’s Blaine Higgs and Ontario’s Doug Ford were not far ahead of their Quebec peer in the poll although, unlike Mr. Legault, the popularity of both leaders improved over the previous quarter.Mr. Higgs and Mr. Ford were rated at 33 percent and 34 percent respectively. The Ontario Conservative leader’s popularity has gone up six points while the New Brunswick Tory’s rating went up three points.
It was a tight race in the middle of the pack with leaders from British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland all within two points of each other.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey tied at 48 percent, with Mr. Furey dipping one point and Mr. Houston down two points.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stayed consistent at 47 percent approval while B.C. Premier David Eby took sixth place in the popularity poll at 46 percent, down one point since the previous quarter.
The poll was conducted online between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, using a randomized sample of 3,749 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
