Poll suggests Trudeau most out-of-touch leader
Doubts about Trudeau’s leadership qualities mark a distinct shift from the 2015 election, when he distinguished himself as a charismatic leader who innately understood issues like the financial anxieties of the middle class and the environment.
OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau is more out of touch with ordinary Canadians than other federal leaders, a new poll suggests, and is seen as the weakest party leader by a sizeable margin among the voting public.
In a Leger poll, 30 per cent of voters who were asked what has surprised them the most about the current campaign said Trudeau “seems out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Canadians,” the highest recorded result across 11 personal leadership traits and four party leaders.
Conservative leader Erin O’toole was seen as next most out of touch at 15 per cent, followed by Jagmeet Singh (eight per cent) and Yves-françois Blanchet (seven per cent).
Trudeau was also singled out as the weakest party leader by 22 per cent of respondents, compared with 10 per cent for O’toole, eight per cent for NDP leader Singh, and six per cent for Bloc leader Blanchet.
The polling data comes in the final weeks of a campaign where the Trudeau Liberals have seemingly failed to broaden their popular support, and have instead seen a gradual decline in public opinion since the beginning of the election. The party is now in a dead heat with the Conservatives at around 33 per cent.
Doubts about Trudeau’s leadership qualities mark a distinct shift from the 2015 election, when he distinguished himself as a charismatic leader who innately understood issues like the financial anxieties of the middle class and the environment.
“If you think back to 2015, he really connected,” said Andrew Enns, executive director at Leger. “That was one of the things people talked a lot about, is that he really connected with the average Canadian on those major issues.
“This is a bit of a flag as to why that Liberal campaign
is really not taking off to the degree that perhaps they thought it might.”
The reason for the Liberal leader’s slumping support, Enns said, could simply be the onset of a sort of Trudeau fatigue, particularly after a global pandemic in which the prime minister was a highly prominent figure, making dispatches to the public twice a week.
The other leaders, meanwhile, appear to be facing the opposite problem. Asked what character traits best represented various leaders, the most popular choice by respondents in the Leger survey for O’toole, Singh, and Blanchet was “don’t know.” Twenty-four per cent said they knew nothing about O’toole’s character, 22 per cent for Singh, and 29 per cent for Blanchet.
The next most common response for O’toole, at 19 per cent, was that he is “not someone I can relate to.” That was also the next most popular response for Blanchet, at 15 per cent of respondents, as well as the belief that he is a “strong leader.”
Singh, who polled higher than all other leaders in terms of likeability, was also known for his “energy and enthusiasm,” chosen by 22 per cent of voters.
The survey, which was conducted between Sept. 3 and Sept. 6, suggested Trudeau’s popularity had fallen the most in the last week, with 40 per cent of respondents saying their impressions of the Liberal leader had worsened. Maxime Bernier had the next-worst week, according to the poll, with 31 per cent saying their impressions of him had worsened, followed by O’toole (27 per cent) and Green leader Annamie Paul (27 per cent).
Singh had the best week with 23 per cent saying they had an improved opinion of the NDP leader, and just 16 per cent saying it had worsened.
Higher public impressions of the NDP leader have been among the most substantial themes of the election campaign so far, helping to bolster support for Singh at the expense of the Liberals.
“He’s a positive figure, he comes across very energetic, he’s well spoken,” said Enns.
“I think what’s happened a bit is there’s progressive voters who have been with the Liberals but have started to drift away due to disappointment or disillusionment.”