A new poll says PC leader and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson has the highest approval level since she took office in 2021 amid a contentious provincial election..New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute said three in ten (28%) Manitobans approve of Stefanson, up three points, while twice as many (60%) are critical of her performance..When Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the UCP won Alberta’s spring election, Smith used her victory speech to throw down the gauntlet towards Ottawa and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drawing a line in the sand..In recent weeks, she’s continued to take aim at the Trudeau government over emissions caps and pending net-zero electricity regulations..The poll reported Alberta vs. Ottawa is an old tune but remains perhaps a favourite among many Albertans. Half (47%) say they approve of Smith’s performance as premier, half (47%) don’t..The uproar from the left over a pause on solar and wind power development appears to have done little to Smith’s popularity in the province, which remains on the lower end of the national spectrum when it comes to concern over the environment and climate change..In neighbouring Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe sees the biggest fall in his approval rating, dropping seven points from June. The poll reported rising cost of living remains a pressing concern in the province where the NDP swiped two seats in recent byelections while arguing that taxes and the cost of utilities have risen under recent Saskatchewan Party governments..Saskatchewan politics drew significant attention last month when Premier Scott Moe announced a policy requiring teachers to obtain parental consent if students wish to change their pronouns or names at school..Opponents say these laws only serve to put children who are not comfortable sharing their identity with parents at risk. However, this policy is supported more in Saskatchewan than elsewhere in the country with half of the province saying parental consent should be required if a child wishes to change their gender identity in schools..The poll said economic issues are having a larger drag on Moe’s performance. The inflation rate in Saskatchewan remained above the national average in recent data, while the Canadian Taxpayers Foundation called on the province’s government to cut gas taxes to help residents struggling with the rising cost of living..The NDP won two out of three byelections last month after blaming recent Saskatchewan Party governments for rising utility bills and taxes. The government countered that the NDP was using “selective numbers” and that Saskatchewan is the most affordable in the country for a family of four..Besides Moe, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sees the largest decline in personal approval as his government attempts to navigate out of the Greenbelt scandal. Ford’s approval sits at 28%, the lowest of his five-year term..In Nova Scotia, approval of Premier Tim Houston also dips to its lowest level of his term, but he still enjoys positive assessments from half of those in the province..Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey has chosen the pen as his weapon against the rising cost of living..In August, he wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau to ask for a pause on clean fuel regulations and to reverse the increases in the carbon tax. Furey said he was concerned about the “detrimental and disproportionate impact” of the regulations, especially in an environment of high inflation..Furey was also one of three premiers to ask the Bank of Canada (the bank) to stop raising interest rates in a letter to bank Governor Tiff Macklem as Furey worried over the impact further rate hikes would have on homeowners and renters. The bank didn’t raise its policy rate this week, though that was expected by many economists prior to the appeals from Furey, Eby and Ford..Furey has the approval of half (49%) of those in Newfoundland and Labrador..The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from August 31 to September 8, among a representative randomized sample of 3,873 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum..For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
