The majority of Canadians say the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new poll.
The Abacus Data survey released Wednesday said 55% of Canadian respondents think the country is on the “wrong track,” with government approval ratings down since January 2022.
“For the Liberals, these numbers should be a warning that they are losing the empathy game,” said Abacus CEO David Coletto.
Coletto pointed to the “pocketbook” issues of the survey, showing that seven-in-ten Canadians think the Liberals are neglecting the rising costs of living and housing.
It may be turning the tide against the Liberals.
In the survey conducted last week, 50% of Canadians said they definitely want a change of government, while 14% said they definitely want the Liberals re-elected.
The poll showed that 37% would vote for the Conservative party tomorrow, 29% would vote for the Liberals, and 18% would vote for the NDP.
The differential between the Conservatives and the Liberals has swayed by roughly 10% since last January, when the Liberals led by 2%.
“This Conservative lead is more about dissatisfaction with the Liberals than enthusiasm for the Conservatives,” said Coletto. “Pierre Poilievre’s personal image has neither improved nor deteriorated – perhaps a win given the environment.”
In the survey, one-third of Canadians said they had a negative impression of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, half said they had a negative impression of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and one-third said they had a negative impression of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.
