Saskatchewan’s Wall Remains the Most Popular Canadian Premier

by Angus Reid | June 7, 2011 7:07 am

Brad Wall remains the best rated provincial head of government in Canada, and the premiers of both Manitoba and British Columbia show a significant spike in support, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative national sample of 6,756 Canadian adults asked respondents in nine provinces about the performance of their respective premiers. Three-in-five people in Saskatchewan (59%) approve of the way Wall has handled his duties.

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger is now second on the list of provincial heads of government, with almost half of respondents (48%) approving of his performance. This represents a 20-point increase since a survey conducted in November 2010.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale—who took office from Danny Williams late last year—is third with 43 per cent. The approval rating for New Brunswick Premier David Alward is 40 per cent.

In British Columbia, Christy Clark starts her tenure with the backing of 36 per cent of respondents. In February, on the last survey to feature Gordon Campbell as BC’s premier, only 16 per cent of British Columbians approved of their premier.

The approval rating for Alberta’s Ed Stelmach, who is expected to leave office this year, stands at 27 per cent, one point higher than Nova Scotia’s Darrell Dexter (26%).

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who will seek a new term this year, holds the support of 19 per cent of respondents. Quebec’s Jean Charest is the lowest ranked premier for the third consecutive quarter, at 17 per cent.

Analysis

Brad Wall is now the only Canadian premier to have the backing of more than half of respondents in a particular province. There were some changes at the top, as Kathy Dunderdale dropped 12 points and fell to third place. Greg Selinger, who has been a fixture in the media on account of the recent floods in Manitoba, is now the second best rated head of government.

David Alward continues to have the backing of two-in-five respondents, while Christy Clark is definitely doing better than her predecessor. Ed Stelmach’s rating increased by six points, while Darrell Dexter remains stable.

The two heads of government of the country’s most populous provinces get a positive assessment from just one-in-five residents.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)[1]

Methodology: From May 16 to May 25, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 6,756 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 1.2%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

Source URL: https://angusreid.org/saskatchewans-wall-remains-the-most-popular-canadian-premier/

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