Liberals' approval rating hits a high last seen during the first days of COVID, poll suggests

Hamilton Spectator

23-05-2025

OTTAWA—The federal government's approval rating has hit its highest levels since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching numbers just shy of what former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted after his 2015 majority victory, a new poll suggests.
Fresh numbers from Abacus Data show that 50 per cent of Canadians approve of Mark Carney's Liberals, a number double the approval ratings pulled in by the government during the final months of Trudeau's tenure.
The approval rating following Carney's victory — which was two seats short of a majority — is comparable to the 51 per cent Trudeau boasted in the month following his 2015 majority win, and greater than 43 per cent recorded by former prime minister Stephen Harper after his own majority triumph in 2011. (The highest approval ratings for the Trudeau Liberals occurred two months into the pandemic, reaching 58 per cent in May 2020).
The numbers, shared exclusively with the Star, come from the latest survey from Abacus Data, which was conducted with 2,273 Canadian adults from May 15 to 21. Because respondents were surveyed online, the poll cannot be considered truly random. A comparable random sample of the same size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.05 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The survey findings also show that 24 per cent of Canadians currently disapprove of the Carney government, and — despite the absence of an election call anywhere on the horizon — the Liberals have not experienced a postelection bump when it comes to voting intentions.
If an election were held now, both the Liberals and Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives would be virtually tied at 41 per cent and 40 per cent respectively, figures comparable to polling data released near the end of this year's campaign.
But it is the issues, not voter strategy, that is currently dominating the political agenda as MPs prepare to return to the House of Commons for the first time since December. Government officials are also turning toward next month's G7 summit in Alberta, which U.S. President Trump will officially attend, the White House confirmed on Thursday.
Later that day, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne wrapped up a meeting of his G7 counterparts and central bankers in Banff, Alta., noting in a news release that the gathering produced 'a frank exchange on the global economy, unsustainable global imbalances, and ways to promote growth and productivity.'
The latest Abacus Data survey showed that cost-of-living concerns and the threats posed by Trump and his administration are the top two issues seizing Canadians, while the Canadian economy more broadly and housing affordability and accessibility were the next most prominent issues. Thirty-three per cent of Canadians cited health care as one of their top three issues, followed by 25 per cent for immigration.
But Canadians are split on which party is best suited to tackle each problem, with 41 per cent of respondents believing the Conservatives would handle cost-of-living woes best, compared to 30 per cent for the Liberals.
Sixty-five per cent of respondents, meanwhile, believe the Liberals are the strongest party to face off against the Trump administration, with 17 per cent of respondents endorsing the Conservatives on that issue.
The Conservatives also lead on the economy, housing affordability, immigration, unemployment and crime, while the Liberals were deemed the best party to address health care, climate change, and threats posed by China and Russia.
The New Democrats, which posted their worst-ever election result last month, were nevertheless considered best-placed to deal with inequality and poverty in Canada.