A recent poll has indicated that the Conservative party, under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre, holds a significant lead over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s governing Liberals. This comes during a period when Canadian trust in several of their national institutions appears to be eroding.
According to the survey, Poilievre’s Tories are 14 percentage points ahead, with 40% of the respondents stating they would cast their vote for the Conservative party. This contrasts with 26% for the Liberals and 17% favoring the NDP.
This data emerges amidst growing dissatisfaction with the federal government led by Trudeau, with nearly two-thirds, or 63% of Canadians, expressing their displeasure. Such sentiment became especially pronounced following Trudeau’s recent announcement to temporarily halt the carbon price application to home heating oil. This policy backtrack occurs under the shadow of the Conservatives’ vocal “axe the tax” campaign, as emphasized by Poilievre.
When posed the question of who Canadians perceive as the ideal candidate for the role of Prime Minister, Poilievre came out on top with 29%. Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh followed with 19% and 15%, respectively. A notable 13% felt that no current federal leader was suited for the role.
According to the data gathered from The Canadian Press, Canadians displayed higher levels of trust in their institutions compared to Americans. The Canadian police force, for instance, enjoyed a 73% trust rate, while in the U.S., this number was 59%. Additionally, 69% of Canadians trust Elections Canada, in stark contrast to the mere 40% of Americans who trust their Federal Election Commission.
In terms of judicial trust, Canada’s less-politicized Supreme Court was trusted by 66% of the respondents. The American counterpart, however, only secured the trust of 45%.
Interestingly, even amid criticisms targeting the Bank of Canada’s macroeconomic policies in the face of soaring inflation, it retains the trust of 57% of Canadians.
However, the trust Canadians place in other institutions shows a decline. Less than half, or 49%, said they trust the United Nations. The House of Commons and its Speaker trailed behind, particularly after the recent controversy involving former Speaker Anthony Rota.
In an unexpected twist, 45% of Americans displayed trust in their state government, slightly edging out the 43% of Canadians trusting their provincial governments.
On the lower spectrum of trust, 40% of Canadians trust the media, followed by the Senate at 37%, the Prime Minister’s Office at 36%, and large corporations at a mere 28%.
This poll, which provides a crucial insight into the political and institutional landscape of Canada, included responses from 1,632 Canadians and 1,002 Americans. It’s worth noting that online polls, such as this one, cannot be assigned a margin of error due to the lack of truly random samples.
