VANCOUVER – As Christmas nears, Canadians have more holiday jeers than holiday cheers for the official leader of the opposition.
A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre provoking more reaction from his predecessors, but perhaps not in the way he may want.
Asked how they view Poilievre, Canadians are much more likely to actually have an opinion of him at this point in his tenure compared to past CPC leaders. Early term uncertainty, however, has mostly been replaced with acrimony. One-in-three (33%) view Poilievre favourably, while more than half (54%) hold a negative view. These levels of unfavourable sentiment are much higher than those of previous leaders Andrew Scheer, Erin O’Toole, and Stephen Harper at the beginning of their own leadership ventures.
Of those who have occupied Stornoway in the 21st century, only Harper was met with majority positive sentiment after taking the job.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, enjoys a five-point boost in his approval compared to summer levels. He’s viewed positively by more than two-in-five (43%).
Poilievre’s favourability is nearly twice as high among men (44%) as women (23%), while the inverse, though not as pronounced, is true of Trudeau (35% among men, 50% among women).
