June 24, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for Stephen Harper fell this month in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 31 per cent of respondents approve of their prime minister's performance, and 37 per cent say their opinion of Harper worsened over the past month.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for Stephen Harper fell this month in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 31 per cent of respondents approve of their prime minister's performance, and 37 per cent say their opinion of Harper worsened over the past month.

Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative party—led by Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

In December 2006, former environment minister Stéphane Dion became the new leader of the Liberals. Only 15 per cent of respondents approve of Dion's performance, and 25 per cent of respondents say their opinion of the Liberal leader has worsened over the past four weeks.

When asked which of the two main federal leaders would make the best prime minister, 38 per cent of respondents pick neither, 33 per cent select Harper, and 17 per cent choose Dion.

On Jun. 22, Harper dismissed the possibility of an early House of Commons ballot, saying, "As I said all winter long, Canadians don't want another election." Dion said his party would not seek to topple the Tories at this time, adding, "There are many, many things that I find wrong in this government and it's not a reason for me to say that, because these things are wrong, I'm ready to call an election." 38 per cent of respondents think Canada is on the right track, down four points since May.

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Stephen Harper's performance as prime minister?

	Jun. 16	May 23	Apr. 20
Approve	31%	33%	34%
Disapprove	47%	47%	43%
Not sure	23%	20%	23%

Do you approve or disapprove of Stéphane Dion's performance as leader of the opposition?

	Jun. 16	May 23	Apr. 20
Approve	15%	18%	17%
Disapprove	47%	43%	44%
Not sure	38%	39%	39%

Over the course of the past month, would you say your opinion of Stephen Harper has improved, stayed the same or worsened?

	Jun. 16	May 23	Apr. 20
Improved	9%	20%	17%
Stayed the same	48%	53%	54%
Worsened	37%	32%	22%
Not sure	6%	5%	7%

Over the course of the past month, would you say your opinion of Stéphane Dion has improved, stayed the same or worsened?

	Jun. 16	May 23	Apr. 20
Improved	8%	10%	10%
Stayed the same	55%	50%	43%
Worsened	25%	27%	31%
Not sure	13%	14%	16%

Which of these two leaders would make the best prime minister of Canada?

	Jun. 16	May 23	Apr. 20
Stephen Harper	33%	31%	36%
Stephane Dion	17%	17%	18%
Neither	38%	41%	34%
Not sure	12%	11%	12%

Overall, do you think Canada is headed in the right track, or the wrong track?

	Jun. 16	May 23	Apr. 20
Right track	38%	42%	39%
Wrong track	36%	37%	34%
Neither	38%	21%	34%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,079 Canadian adults, conducted from Jun. 14 to Jun. 16, 2007. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.

Complete Poll (PDF)

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