April 27, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for Stephen Harper fell this month in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 34 per cent of respondents approve of the prime minister's performance, down six points since late March.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for Stephen Harper fell this month in Canada, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 34 per cent of respondents approve of the prime minister's performance, down six points since late March.

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 17 per cent of respondents approve of Dion's performance, and 39 per cent are not sure. In addition, 36 per cent of respondents think Harper would make the best prime minister, while 18 per cent select the Liberal leader.

On Apr. 22, Dion discussed his energy policies in Prince Edward Island, saying, "I had that plan (to install a third electrical cable to export wind power) and I signed with the province when I was the minister of the environment, and Mr. Harper killed the plan. I will recreate it, and for 2015 we'll have 95 to 96 per cent of electricity (on PEI) coming from wind power." 17 per cent of respondents say their opinion of Harper improved over the past month, compared with 10 per cent for Dion.

On Apr. 25, natural resources minister Gary Lunn announced that the federal government would ban inefficient lights in 2012, adding, "The light bulb is the gateway to broad public engagement on energy efficiency and action on climate change. This is without question the way of the future." 39 per cent of respondents think Canada is on the right track, up three points in three weeks.

Polling Data

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

	Apr. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 7
Approve	34%	40%	37%
Disapprove	43%	39%	41%
Not sure	23%	21%	22%

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

	Apr. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 7
Approve	17%	18%	19%
Disapprove	44%	44%	39%
Not sure	39%	37%	42%

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

	Apr. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 7
Stephen Harper	36%	41%	35%
Stephane Dion	18%	17%	19%
Neither	34%	32%	30%
Not sure	12%	11%	16%

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

	Apr. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 7
Improved	17%	25%	21%
Stayed the same	54%	49%	50%
Worsened	22%	22%	22%
Not sure	7%	4%	7%

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

	Apr. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 7
Improved	10%	11%	9%
Stayed the same	43%	47%	43%
Worsened	31%	30%	29%
Not sure	16%	12%	19%

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

	Apr. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 7
Right track	39%	36%	43%
Wrong track	34%	38%	35%
Not sure	27%	26%	23%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,009 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 19 and Apr. 20, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Complete Poll (PDF)

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