Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enters the New Year facing record-low approval ratings, with the party polling worse than at any point in its 157-year history.
According to an Angus Reid Institute poll published Monday, voting intention for the Liberals has fallen to 16%, half of the voter share the party had in Dec. 2014. Conversely, federal voting intent for the Conservatives has reached 45%, marking an all-time high over the last decade.
“It represents the lowest level of support for the party in Angus Reid Institute tracking dating back to 2014. It is also quite possibly the lowest vote intention the Liberals have ever received in the modern era,” reads the poll. “Even in the worst electoral performance in the party’s 157-year history, the 2011 election under then leader Michael Ignatieff, the Liberals received 18.9% of votes from Canadians, and at minimum 17% in polling leading up to that election.”
Voting intent for the NDP has seen ebbs and flows but has remained largely unchanged compared to a decade ago at 21%.
Respondents were provided with three options: Trudeau remaining prime minister as long as possible, resigning immediately, or calling a general election.
Almost half the respondents, 46%, called for Trudeau’s immediate resignation.
The growing list of Liberal MPs calling for Trudeau’s resignation has led to an internal caucus revolt. Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said the “vast majority” of Liberal MPs want Trudeau to resign right away.
Over one-third, 38%, of respondents want to see a general election called right away. This sentiment was strongest among those who intend to vote Conservative – at 66%.
Conversely, only 16% of respondents want Trudeau to remain prime minister as long as he can maintain power. Less than three in ten Liberal voters hope for this, with 59% hoping Trudeau resigns immediately.
Trudeau’s approval rating was just over 60% when he took office in 2015. It has been in freefall ever since, reaching 22% by Dec. 2024. His disapproval rating has seen a sharp rise during that time frame, climbing from around 30% to 74%.
The disapproval rating was met with strong feelings. Over half, 52%, of respondents strongly disapprove of Trudeau. Conversely, only 3% strongly approve of him.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has seen both his favourability and unfavourability rise, as undecided Canadians become fewer in number.
Poilievre has tried to fast-track Canadians’ wishes, urging the Governor General to persuade Trudeau to dissolve Parliament and call an election or reconvene immediately for a confidence vote.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has seen his unfavourability skyrocket as well, rising from just under 40% in Dec. 2017 to 58% by Dec. 2024.
Overall, the Liberal party has retained less than half of those who voted for them in the 2021 election, while the Conservatives have retained almost nine in ten.
“Most of those who supported the party in 2021 now say they would not repeat their vote, with 12% of 2021 Liberal voters either undecided or not planning to vote, and 16% and 20% currently supporting the CPC and NDP, respectively,” reads the poll. “Meanwhile, nearly all (89%) 2021 Conservative voters plan to support the party again, while seven-in-ten (68%) of those who voted NDP and 83% of those who voted Bloc continue to support the party they voted for in the most recent federal election.”
Following former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation, the Liberal party’s support has fallen 5%, with the largest decrease coming among women aged 35 to 54, who saw a near 10% drop.
The Liberal party’s falling support is also in part due to the Liberal implementing policies that have seemingly pushed Canadians further away.
For example, the recently proposed GST/HST tax exemption and $250 one-time cheque saw only 2% of a different poll’s respondents say it would make it “much more likely” that they would vote Liberal in the future. Only 3% said it would make it “more likely.”
Conversely, 28% of respondents said the policies would make it “much less likely” that they would vote Liberal in the future, followed by 8% who said it would make it “less likely.”
