Canadians from all regions and partisan stripes, including key Liberal support groups, are looking for Prime Minister Carney to provide a major reset from the Trudeau years.
These results are from an online poll of 1,304 Canadians, sponsored and conducted by INNOVATIVE Research Group Inc. between May 12 and May 14, 2025. The results are weighted to 1,000 by age, gender, region, education, and self-reported past federal vote to ensure the overall sample reflects the population according to Census data.
In the aftermath of the election on April 28 we see only a slim majority (54%) of Canadians are satisfied with the election’s outcome. This is, unsurprisingly, strongly divided by region and partisanship. Narrow majorities in every region except Alberta and the Prairies report being satisfied; we also see 89% of Liberals being satisfied versus only 22% of Conservatives saying the same. The newly elected federal government at the beginning of its mandate faces some deeply entrenched divisions it will need to address.
Previous polls have been showing strong support for “time for a change” – but is that change in substance, style or tone? It looks like all of the above, but more substance and tone than style. Three quarters of Canadians (76%) agree that Carney needs to “enact very different policies” from Justin Trudeau’s. Similarly, 73% believe Carney should avoid Trudeau’s “divisive rhetoric and tone”. That falls off to 65% who feel that Trudeau focused too much on style over substance. Agreement for all three of these positions is high (at least 60%) for both Conservatives and Liberals.
What does that mean? Canadians are most hopeful that Carney’s government will address the high cost of living, control inflation, and improve housing affordability. Conversely, respondents report that their top fears include mishandling tensions with the U.S., concern that Carney will govern like Trudeau, and economic crises related to overspending.
In short, we see that the Carney-led Liberal government faces a strong expectation for change from the Trudeau years. This expectation includes Liberals and older voters. This includes making tangible policy progress on files the Liberal government has not been successful with, including fiscal management and housing. It also needs to manage some deep divisions and an expectation for very different form and function from largely the same staff and legislators.
