A new online poll by INNOVATIVE of 2,390 Canadians shows the federal Liberals maintaining their lead in the vote despite declines in government satisfaction and approval of the federal governments handling of the pandemic is lower than ever.
Canadians appear to be shifting their attention from the federal level to the provinces. Attention to the federal government is down since March to only 46%. The most common reaction to those who hear anything is to say it made no difference to their impression of the federal government. The most common piece of news Canadians have heard is news about the COVID-19 vaccines which have left 33% feeling less favourably towards the government and 27% feeling more favourable towards the government.
Satisfaction with the federal government has slipped another 2-points is down to the lowest point since the pandemic began. Now 50% say they are at least somewhat satisfied with the federal government while 47% say they are dissatisfied. At the same time, approval of the federal government’s handling of the pandemic has also declined to 44%, also the lowest recorded level.
Despite the declining approval numbers, the Liberal Party of Canada maintains their strong lead on vote choice at 35%, leading the Conservatives (24%) by 11 points. This includes a strong lead in Ontario, and a lead in every economic gap segment.
The Liberal lead is built on a strong underlying brand. Nearly 1-in-3 Canadians (31%) say they generally think of themselves as Liberals while only 22% say they generally think of themselves as Conservatives.
For more detail on the Canadian political landscape, check our full report here.
