Trudeau approval dips

But poll shows Liberals still hold positive public support

OTTAWA— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval rating has dipped slightly but the federal Liberals continue to ride high in public support as Parliament prepares to resume after the summer recess, a new poll shows.

The Liberals have the support of 48 per cent of Canadians, down two points over the last month, according to Forum Research Inc.

The Conservatives are at 30 per cent, down 1 point, and the New Democrats have the backing of 11 per cent of Canadians, up one point since early August.

Forum pollster Lorne Bozinoff said that almost a year after taking power, the Liberals remain in an enviable position.

“The Liberals have got an open field right now, all to themselves,” he said in an interview Monday.

He credits some of the party’s strong showing to uncertain leadership situations among the Conservatives and NDP — leadership races are underway in both parties.

But he said the Liberals deserve credit for their time in office and the economy, while sluggish, has also not turned into a headache. “The economy’s going OK. The summer went well,” Bozinoff said.

Trudeau’s personal approval rating among Canadians has dropped 5 percentage points to 55 per cent, but the prime minister still ranks above the other leaders in the Commons. Bozinoff speculated this was because Trudeau — who travelled to China for a G20 meeting — had a lower public profile during the month.

“That may be a function of the fact that he hasn’t been around,” he said.

The poll results show the Liberals hold a decisive lead in many parts of country. In Ontario, the Liberals are at 47 per cent, the Conservatives 37 per cent and the New Democrats 11 per cent — bad news for the third place party. The Conservatives lead in Alberta and the Prairies.

Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose has the approval of 30 per cent of the voters, largely unchanged from the previous month. NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair also stands at 31 per cent; his standing among NDP supporters is at 64 per cent, even though the party members voted to oust the leader at their April convention.

Bozinoff said the NDP has to resolve the leadership issues and must find a way to effectively compete with the Liberals on the policy front.

Forum polled 1,370 Canadians 18 and older on Sept. 7 using an interactive voice response survey. Results on the total sample are considered accurate within 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.