Half of Canadians would be ‘ashamed' to call Poilievre PM, as Tory leader wins back seat in Parliament: Angus Reid
According to new numbers from the Angus Reid Institute, while 73 per cent of Canadians view Poilievre as a 'strong critic of the government' in his official opposition role, 50 per cent say they would be 'ashamed' to call him prime minister.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fifty-two per cent of survey respondents also said they believe him to be insincere. According to the polling firm, both those latter figures have increased since December 2023, which was a little more than a year after Poilievre became leader of the party.
The percentage of people who said they would be 'ashamed' to call Poilievre prime minister is up 10 percentage points since late 2023.
Poilievre has been Conservative leader since September 2022, when he won the leadership with a resounding first-ballot victory. That leadership is up for a mandatory review vote at the end of next January.
During the April general election, Poilievre lost his longtime Ottawa-area riding to a Liberal political rookie. But, while Poilievre himself lost his seat, the party picked up two dozen ridings nationwide.
In the rural Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, former Conservative MP Damien Kurek stepped down to give Poilievre the chance to run to replace him. On Monday, Poilievre did just that, winning back a seat in the House of Commons during a byelection with more than 80 per cent of the vote, just shy of the nearly 83 per cent Kurek garnered in the April election.
When it comes to Conservative voters, the numbers from Angus Reid show 68 per cent still support Poilievre. But, of the people who were considering voting Conservative in April and ended up deciding against it on election day, 54 per cent want to see Poilievre lose the January leadership review and be replaced.
Of that same group — those who considered voting Conservative but made the last-minute decision not to — 59 per cent said Poilievre sounded too much like U.S. President Donald Trump, 59 per cent said the campaign was too negative, and 70 per cent said the party 'didn't articulate a clear plan for the country.'
Conservative voters, meanwhile, don't appear to blame Poilievre for the election loss. According to Angus Reid, 39 per cent said Trump was the most to blame for the defeat, followed by Prime Minister Mark Carney at 22 per cent. Only 14 per cent of Conservative voters consider Poilievre to be the most responsible for the defeat.
Poilievre trails Carney: Nanos
New numbers from Nanos Research also show a similar drop in support for Poilievre.
According to new data from this week, the Liberals are 12 points ahead of the Conservatives, at 44 per cent and 32 per cent respectively. But, Poilievre is trailing Carney by 27 points when it comes to the preferred prime minister question.
Those numbers are a sharp contrast to the start of the year when the Conservatives led the Liberals — under former prime minister Justin Trudeau — by more than 20 points.
Nanos said Poilievre will have to move quickly to close the gap between his party and the Liberals, and critically, between himself and Carney, with January's leadership review as a possible target date to see improvement in national polling.
With files from CTV News' Stephanie Ha
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
12 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Poilievre calls for Bishnoi Gang to be designated a terrorist group as part of tough-on-crime agenda
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is the latest politician calling for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity. His urging came during a visit to Surrey, B.C. RCMP there announced last month it had made two arrests in an extortion investigation targeting the South Asian business community. Police have linked some extortion cases back to the gang, whose leader Lawrence Bishnoi is in prison in India. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Poilievre says the Conservatives are planning to push a tough-on-crime agenda in the House of Commons, when Parliament resumes in the fall. A terror designation for the Bishnoi gang will be part of that, he promised. The move is intended, he says, to help police and prosecutors deal with the international group, which has been active in Surrey, as well as cities such as Calgary and Brampton. Poilievre also says his party will push to increase mandatory prison sentences for extortion, starting with four years for a first offence. 'Our plan repeals catch-and-release bail, brings in mandatory jail time for repeat offenders and ensures that we have a ban on the Bishnoi terrorists, so that this network of extortionists and terrorists are automatically criminalized,' Poilievre said during a news conference. Poilievre is following B.C. Premier David Eby, who asked the federal government to declare the gang a terrorist organization back in June, and the same call made by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last month. The Conservative Party released a statement about the Bishnoi Gang on Aug. 11. Frank Caputo, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, wrote to the federal Minister of Public Safety stating that the gang activities 'include political shootings, extortion of South Asian Canadians and extreme violence … Additionally, Gang members boast of such activities to intimidate other potential targets.' As a result, wrote Caputo, 'law enforcement and all levels of government (should be given) the tools necessary to address the Gang's activities. The designation would permit the government to push back against the Gang with financial, criminal and property sanctions. BREAKING Conservatives call on the Liberals to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization. Communities are being terrorized. It's time for the Liberals to act. My letter👇🏼. Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs – the largest number outside India. Many moved to Canada in the 1980s when Indian forces launched a violent crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement demanding a separate Sikh homeland, Khalistan, to be carved out of the northern state of Punjab. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have faced allegations from Canadian officials, including Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP, that Indian intelligence agents have been attempting to carry out targeted assassinations of Sikh separatists overseas, including Canada. The killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a Sikh temple in B.C. on June 18, 2023, pushed Bishnoi and his gang into the centre spotlight of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. Lawrence Bishnoi gained notoriety back in May 2022, when the gang allegedly murdered prominent Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab. Police said Bishnoi's colleague Goldy Brar allegedly orchestrated Moosewala's killing from Canada. The Bishnoi group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on the homes of two prominent Punjabi singers , AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, in B.C., over the past two years, as its empire of fear has expanded from Mumbai to Mississauga, Ont. And, on Aug. 7, an alleged Bishnoi gang member claimed responsibility for gunshots fired at a cafe in Surrey, B.C. owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma. Indian police officials have said that Bishnoi, 32, controls more t han 700 sharpshooters who carry out murders and extortion globally. And he does this from behind bars, shuffling between various prisons for nearly a decade now. The South Asian community in Surrey and Brampton has been campaigning for more safety on social media, uploading videos of various shootings in the two cities. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
12 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
Poilievre calls for Bishnoi Gang to be designated a terrorist group as part of tough-on-crime agenda
Article content The Conservative Party released a statement about the Bishnoi Gang on Aug. 11. Article content Frank Caputo, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, wrote to the federal Minister of Public Safety stating that the gang activities 'include political shootings, extortion of South Asian Canadians and extreme violence … Additionally, Gang members boast of such activities to intimidate other potential targets.' Article content As a result, wrote Caputo, 'law enforcement and all levels of government (should be given) the tools necessary to address the Gang's activities. The designation would permit the government to push back against the Gang with financial, criminal and property sanctions. Article content BREAKING Conservatives call on the Liberals to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization. Communities are being terrorized. It's time for the Liberals to act. My letter👇🏼. — Frank Caputo (@FrankCaputoKTN) August 11, 2025 Article content Article content Why is this an issue for Sikhs in Canada? Article content Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs – the largest number outside India. Many moved to Canada in the 1980s when Indian forces launched a violent crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement demanding a separate Sikh homeland, Khalistan, to be carved out of the northern state of Punjab. Article content India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have faced allegations from Canadian officials, including Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP, that Indian intelligence agents have been attempting to carry out targeted assassinations of Sikh separatists overseas, including Canada. Article content What alleged murders are linked to the gang? Article content The killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a Sikh temple in B.C. on June 18, 2023, pushed Bishnoi and his gang into the centre spotlight of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. Article content Article content Lawrence Bishnoi gained notoriety back in May 2022, when the gang allegedly murdered prominent Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab. Police said Bishnoi's colleague Goldy Brar allegedly orchestrated Moosewala's killing from Canada. Article content The Bishnoi group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on the homes of two prominent Punjabi singers, AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, in B.C., over the past two years, as its empire of fear has expanded from Mumbai to Mississauga, Ont. And, on Aug. 7, an alleged Bishnoi gang member claimed responsibility for gunshots fired at a cafe in Surrey, B.C. owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma.
National Observer
12 minutes ago
- National Observer
Saskatchewan premier calls on Prime Minister Carney to meet with China's Xi on canola
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Thursday that he wants Prime Minister Mark Carney to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the trade issues that have led to steep tariffs on Canadian canola products. "It isn't going to be Premier Moe and President Xi that stand up and say, 'We've come to a trade deal here and everything is good moving forward,'" he said. Moe said he will be in China in the next couple of weeks to engage with officials there, but he believes Carney and Xi are the only two people who can ultimately resolve the trade dispute. "There will be opportunities for the president and the prime minister to meet, I think, when you look at the global calendar of events," he told reporters after a meeting with industry groups and federal government representatives in Saskatoon. Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald joined the meeting virtually, along with Buckley Belanger, Saskatchewan's representative in cabinet. Moe said MacDonald was planning to be in Saskatoon but was not able to get there because of airline disruptions. Both Carney and Xi are expected to be at the G20 meetings in South Africa in November. The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders' forum is also being held in South Korea the same month. Moe said Thursday's meeting, which included canola producers and exporters, also included discussions about the challenges with Canada's top export market for canola, the U.S. Moe said he will be in China in the next couple of weeks to engage with officials there, but he believes Carney and Xi are the only two people who can ultimately resolve the trade dispute. China imposed a tariff of nearly 76 per cent on canola seed last week, causing the price of one of Canada's most valuable crops to fall and wiping out millions of dollars in its value. It comes one year after China launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola, a move in response to Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, batteries and other products. In response to the Canadian tariffs China has also imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola meal and oil. Kody Blois, Carney's parliamentary secretary, said the prime minister plans to be in Western Canada in the coming weeks, "convening stakeholders and the Western premiers about what we can do to support the industry moving forward." "There are a number of options on the table that we could take in the short term to help support the industry from a regulatory side, things that industry has been calling for, whether at the producer level or the processor level," he said. While canola futures are up, Blois said, "there's a lot of uncertainty." Blois said a Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting is set for next week. That meeting was the result of Carney's bilateral discussion in June with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. "This is an opportunity for Canadian authorities and Chinese authorities to engage on what we see as differences around trade," Blois said. Canada exports nearly $15 billion of canola seed, oil and meal per year, and nearly $5 billion of that went to China in 2024. SaskOilseeds chair Dean Roberts, who was at the Thursday meeting, said farmers are being "used as a pawn in the current geo-political environment." He joined Moe's call for urgent federal action. "Unprecedented market closure amidst an already stressful time of year has a compounding adverse effect on farmers," he said in a statement released by Moe's office.
