Less than a third of British Columbians are happy with Christy Clark’s performance as premier, according to a new poll.
Clark’s approval rating now sits at 30 per cent, putting her ahead of only New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant (27 per cent) and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger in a Canada-wide survey from Angus Reid Institute. When the pollster last measured Clark’s popularity in March, she fared only slightly better, earning the approval of 33 per cent.
The B.C. premier has never had the approval of more than half of her constituents, according to Angus Reid polling. Her highest rating was 45 per cent in June 2013.
The pollster’s online survey of 6,291 Canadians, conducted between May 26 and June 7, found that Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall continues to be the most popular premier in the country. While his approval rating has fallen seven points since September, Wall still sits at 61 per cent, edging out newly elected Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who clocked in at 53 per cent.
The survey was conducted before the Alberta Throne Speech on June 15, when Notley signalled plans to raise corporate and personal income taxes and reform campaign donations. The survey’s authors say that they’ll be able to get a more accurate reading of the premier’s popularity in three months, after Albertans have had a chance to digest some of Notley’s policy changes.
The survey results do not include approval ratings for Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan or the territorial premiers. The Angus Reid Institute claims a margin of error of +/- 1.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
The premiers’ approval ratings, ranked:
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall: 61 per cent
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley: 53 per cent
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Paul Davis: 39 per cent
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard: 39 per cent
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil: 37 per cent
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne: 31 per cent
B.C. Premier Christy Clark: 30 per cent
New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant: 27 per cent
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger: 23 per cent
