Mark Carney became leader of the Liberal Party after replacing then PM Justin Trudeau as leader on March 9. Faith in his leadership also translated into a victory for the ruling party in the April 28 Federal election
Toronto: The opposition Conservative Party has taken a lead in public opinion over the Liberals for the first time since Mark Carney assumed the leadership of the ruling party.
According to a poll released by the agency Abacus Data, the Conservatives enjoy the support of 41% of decided voters as against 39% for the Liberals, a slide of four per cent of the ruling party since earlier this month.
However, among those certain to vote the two parties are tied at 41% each.
Mark Carney became leader of the Liberal Party after replacing then prime minister Justin Trudeau as leader on March 9. This data appears to signal that Carney’s honeymoon with Canadian public seems to be over.
Faith in his leadership also translated into a victory for the ruling party in the April 28 Federal election, when it formed a minority government, garnering 169 seats as against 144 for the rival Conservatives. Carney led the party to a remarkable turnaround in fortunes as the party under the extremely unpopular Trudeau was facing a double-digit deficit against the Conservatives till the end of 2024.
However, some of the issues that forced Trudeau to resign in January are coming back to the fore as the tariff threats from US President Donald Trump become less of a factor for Canadians.
Cost of living was chosen by 60% of those sampled among their top three concerns, with housing, healthcare and immigration also major matters.
Nearly half of the respondents, 47%, felt the country was on the wrong track.
Carney’s performance in the month’s ahead could still help him regain ground and he remains personally popular, with 48% viewing him favourably as against the 40% that have a similar view of his rival Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
“After a spring and summer of stability in public opinion, we may be seeing signs of fluidity in federal politics. The Carney government still enjoys a solid approval rating, Prime Minister Carney personally remains well liked, and the Liberal brand remains broadly accessible but public concern around affordability is persistent, and the Conservatives are clearly benefiting from that focus,” Abacus Data CEO David Coletto said, in a release.
Carney will face a fresh challenge next month as Poilievre will be back to lead the Conservatives in the House of Commons after being elected from a rural constituency in Alberta earlier this month. Poilievre suffered a shock defeat from the constituency of Carleton in Ontario in the Federal election, but was elected from Battle River-Crowfoot in a by-election. But he also faces the prospect of a leadership review in January, which will probe the epic collapse in the Federal poll.
Carney, meanwhile, has three-and-a-half years to address the issues that matter to Canadian voters.
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