Canada’s Prime Minister has reached his highest approval rating since becoming leader of the Liberal Party.
However, Mark Carney’s 60 per cent approval rating has not caused a boost in the polling numbers for his party, neither federally nor in B.C.
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In fact, data from the pollster Angus Reid Institute released Jan. 26 says that the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are neck-and-neck in the province, tighter than anywhere else in the country.
Shachi Kurl, president for the firm, says that Carney’s personal brand, which saw a boost in the wake of his headline-making speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, has not translated into a similar spike for his party.
But Kurl said Canada-US relations will be a sticking point for voters going forward.
“When we see moments of strident rhetoric from the Prime Minister, whether it’s in B.C. or any other part of the country, definitely seeing a bit of a tick up for his momentum personally,” Kurl said.
With 58 per cent, the Prime Minister’s approval is slightly lower in B.C. than it is countrywide, yet still the highest among all western provinces.
At the same time, Poilievre’s approval rating – currently at 40 per cent – trends higher in B.C. than his 36 per cent in the entire country.
Yet, despite Carney’s popularity, vote intention for the Liberals remains virtually unmoved, Angus Reid numbers show.
“It is not necessarily translating into increased fortunes for the party in terms of vote intent,” Kurl explains.
If an election were to be held today, the poll found 39 per cent of B.C. constituents would vote for the Liberals. 38 per cent would mark their cross next to the Conservatives on the ballot.
Canada-wide, this gap is slightly larger, with 41 per cent favouring the Liberals over 38 per cent trending towards the Conservatives.
“The Liberals in B.C. are edging the federal Conservatives by only about a point; we would call that a tie,” she told 1130 NewsRadio.
At the same time, Kurl adds that these numbers represent an increase over previous polling in B.C. put out in December.
“It does reflect a bit of a bump for the Liberals in British Columbia.”
Compared to numbers released on Dec. 1 last year, the Liberal Party has made some inroads over the last two months, when it was standing at 33 per cent in the federal vote intent, ten points behind the Conservative Party.
Kurl explains that while numbers for the Conservatives are not fluctuating that much, the opposition party has had trouble expanding its voter base.
