SASK Premier Brad Wall’s popularity on rebound
Rating improves despite scandal, budget cuts: poll
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall’s approval ratings are on the upswing and he retains his title as the country’s most popular provincial leader despite struggling with the fallout from a deeply unpopular budget and the ongoing scandal at the Global Transportation Hub, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.
The online survey found that 49 per cent of Saskatchewan residents approve of the outgoing premier — who is expected to resign as the MLA for Swift Current once the Saskatchewan Party chooses a new leader in January.
That represents a four-point increase from his all-time low of 45 per cent recorded in June, the Angus Reid Institute reported Tuesday.
Wall’s approval rating peaked at 71 per cent five years ago and stayed above 60 per cent for six consecutive years.
However, recent surveys by the Vancouver-based organization show his popularity sliding, from 58 per cent in December 2016 to 52 per cent in March before bottoming out in June before climbing slightly this month.
The Angus Reid Institute has attributed this slide to the Sask. Party’s 2017-18 budget, which aimed to halve a $1.2-billion deficit and included dozens of unpopular cuts, including the controversial decision to axe the Saskatchewan Transportation Co.
The government has since reversed several cuts, deeming some of them “mistakes.”
Advanced Education Minister Kevin Doherty, who was finance minister when the budget was released, acknowledged that the document was expected to put a dent in the government’s approval ratings, but said most people in Saskatchewan are “fair-minded” and waiting until the RCMP concludes its investigation before drawing conclusions about the GTH.
In spite of the cuts and questions about the GTH — which led a former justice minister to call for a public inquiry — 29 per cent of Saskatchewan residents say the premier will be remembered as “above average” while 25 per cent think he will go down in history as “outstanding.”
Most people think his accomplishments will outweigh his failures than the other way round.
Wall, who announced his planned retirement on Aug. 10, has said his most significant accomplishments include shepherding the province through a decade of rapid population and job growth, building infrastructure including highways and creating an economic climate that is more friendly to businesses.
Doherty said Wall’s ability to maintain high approval ratings over the best part of a decade to his likability, his willingness to make difficult decisions as part of a broader plan to repair Saskatchewan’s finances, and the fact that Saskatchewan is better-off now than it was when the Sask. Party took power in 2007.
On a national basis, Wall’s approval rating is one point ahead of newly-minted B.C. Premier John Horgan, who is himself a dozen points clear of third-place Brian Pallister of Manitoba.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has an approval rating of 29 per cent, while Ontario’s Kathleen Wynne sits in last place with just 17 per cent, according to the survey.