Abacus Data Inc. put its polling fingers on the political pulse of Canadians in the last week of October, finding opinions changed little since the last survey..“The political opinion environment has been fairly steady since the early summer,” says David Coletto of Abacus..“The Conservatives hold a slight national lead over the Liberals. Views of the prime minister and his government have stabilized while impressions of Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Singh have held steady." .Here’s a deeper dive into the survey..Voting intentions. Voting intentionsVoting intentions .Conservatives lead in voting intentions at 34%, followed by the Liberals (31%), NDP (18%) and the BQ (6%).. Provincial pollProvincial poll .The Conservatives lead with voting intentions in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. In Quebec, the Liberals lead the BQ by 6 points while the Liberals are well ahead in Atlantic Canada.. Feelings about federal government. Feelings about federal government Feelings about federal government .The survey says 35% of respondents approve of the federal government, while 47% disapprove of its performance, a two point drop in both measures since mid-September..Top issues for Canadians. Top issues for CanadiansTop issues for Canadians .The top three issues are the cost of living, healthcare and the economy..When asked which party would do the best on the issues, the Conservatives lead on the economy, lack of freedom in Canada, crime and public safety. The Liberals are slightly ahead of the Greens on climate change and the environment and ahead on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The NDP leads on housing affordability, inequality, and poverty..On the top issue of the rising cost of living, the Conservatives have a substantial advantage over the other parties, with 32% of respondents choosing them, followed by the NDP at 16% and the Liberals at 15%..The three main parties are within a few points of each other on healthcare while the NDP and Liberals are basically tied on indigenous reconciliation..Desire for a change of government. Desire for a change of governmentDesire for a change of government .Half the respondents want to see a change of government while 12% would like to see change, but say it’s not that important to them. In contrast, 37% would like to see the Liberals re-elected, but only 14% say they definitely want the Liberals re-elected..Compared to the end of the 2021 federal election campaign, the intense desire for change is unchanged while those wanting to definitely see the Liberals re-elected is down five points..Trudeau vs. Poilievre. Trudeau vs. PoilievreTrudeau vs. Poilievre .“One of the things we are starting to track again is the preference for either Mr. Trudeau or Mr. Poilievre as prime minister,” says Bruce Anderson of Abacus. “Today, 53% of Canadians would prefer Mr. Trudeau as prime minister while 47% would prefer Mr. Poilievre.”.“Regionally, Mr. Trudeau is the preferred choice of 52% of respondents in Ontario, Quebec at 66% and Atlantic Canada at 63%.”.“Mr. Poilievre is the preferred choice by half or more in BC (52%), Alberta (57%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (61%).”.“These numbers illustrate the Liberals are vulnerable and also support for the Conservatives is somewhat tentative,” says Anderson..“Neither party sees unqualified good or bad news in this public opinion environment. For the Liberals, trailing badly on economic issues is a major risk, but one that hasn’t yet translated into a clear voting preference for the Conservatives.”
