A new survey has found more Canadians consider Justin Trudeau the worst prime minister of the last 55 years than any other PM, while his father ranks as the most popular.
The survey, conducted by Research Co., found that 30 per cent said the current prime minister is the worst among recent PMs, while his predecessor Stephen Harper comes in second at 18 per cent..
In addition, 20 per cent of surveyed Canadians believe that Pierre Trudeau has been the best prime minister since 1968, marking a one-point increase compared to a similar survey conducted in June 2022. On the other hand, 11 per cent of Canadians said the same thing about Justin Trudeau.
The survey also found that despite being considered the worst by 18 per cent of Canadians, 17 per cent of Canadians consider Harper the best, and his popularity is much higher in Alberta.
“More than a third of Albertans (36 per cent) believe Stephen Harper has been Canada’s best recent prime minister,” of Research Co. President Mario Canseco, said in a press release on Friday. “Pierre Trudeau fares best in British Columbia (27 per cent), Ontario (23 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (22 per cent).”
When it comes to Atlantic Canadians, 32 per cent of them ranked Harper as the worst recent head of government in Canada.
In Alberta, Justin Trudeau’s negative rating reaches 45 per cent, while it’s 36 per cent in British Columbia and 36 per cent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The survey also included questions about 10 distinct politicians who have served as leader of the Official Opposition in Ottawa over the past five decades. The findings reveal that 48 per cent (down four points) of Canadians believe former NDP leader Jack Layton would have made a “very good” or “good” prime minister, with 61 per cent respondents aged 55 and over sharing this perspective.
Additionally, five former leaders of the opposition were reviewed positively by more than one-in-five Canadians: ex-Reform Party leader Preston Manning (28 per cent, down one point), former Progressive Conservative leader Robert Stanfield (27 per cent, down three points), former NDP leader Tom Mulcair (also 27 per cent, down two points), as well as former Conservative leaders Andrew Scheer (22 per cent, down one point) and Erin O’Toole (also 22 per cent, down one point).
The rating is lower for former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff (19 per cent, up one point), Stockwell Day (also 19 per cent, down one point), former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose (18 per cent, down four points) and former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion (also 18 per cent, unchanged).
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTERS RANKED BY POPULARITY
1. Pierre Trudeau – 20 per cent
2. Stephen Harper – 17 per cent
3. Jean Chrétien – 11 per cent
4. Justin Trudeau – 11 per cent
5. Brian Mulroney – 8 per cent
6. Paul Martin – 3 per cent
7. Joe Clark – 2 per cent
8. John Turner – 1 per cent
9. Kim Campbell – 1 per cent
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTERS RANKED BY UNPOPULARITY
1. Justin Trudeau – 30 per cent
2. Stephen Harper – 18 per cent
3. Kim Campbell – 7 per cent
4. Brian Mulroney – 6 per cent
5. Pierre Trudeau – 5 per cent
6. Jean Chrétien – 3 per cent
7. Joe Clark – 3 per cent
8. Paul Martin – 2 per cent
9. John Turner – 1 per cent
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted on July 4 and July 5, 2023, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
