Ontarian’s approval of Premier Doug Ford continues to decline a new poll found.
The Angus Reid quarterly survey of Canadian premiers’ performance showed that Ford’s approval rating has slipped more than 10 points since he was re-elected last June and now stands at 33%. Only one-in-three Ontarians approve of him, according to survey data.
Ford’s government is embroiled in the greenbelt land development scandal and the premier himself continues to face criticism from the opposition and others after an investigation revealed that developers paid $150 a ticket to attend his daughter’s “stag and doe” engagement party. Amid calls for a formal investigation from the Ontario NDP, Ford insisted that “no one can influence the Fords.”
Reports of underspending in health care, staffing shortages, and concerns about the implications of an increase in privatization are adding to Ford’s unpopularity.
His approval rating which was at it’s highest (69%) in his first term, during the pandemic months of March to June 2020, has been in free fall eversince and hit an all-time low of 30% in the December 2021 to March 2022 period. It seems to be following a similar trend in the last quarter.
In the rest of the country, the Angus Reid poll finds P.E.I. Premier Dennis King and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson at opposite ends of the approval spectrum as both leaders seek re-election this year. King is approved by approaching three-in-five (58%) of his constituents as the island heads to the polls in April; Stefanson by one-quarter (25%) as Manitoba will vote on her future this fall. In between lies another premier in an election year, Alberta’s Danielle Smith, with approval of 46 per cent of Albertans.
Stefanson is not alone at the low end of the approval landscape. She’s joined this quarter by New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, who also is approved-of by one-quarter (25%) of his constituents as positivity towards him continues to decline. Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford too finds himself at the edge of the approval valley.
Enjoying life among the approval peaks alongside P.E.I.’s King are Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey (62%), who climbs to the top after a more negative 2022; Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe (60%); and Quebec Premier François Legault (55%).
The middle of the pack – Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston (51%) and B.C.’s David Eby (48%) – can hang their hats on the fact that more people approve of them than disapprove (42% and 33% respectively).
