PREMIER’ S PERFORMANCE: While BC Premier John Horgan remains at the top in English Canada with his superb performance during the pandemic, Ontario and Alberta premiers see declines in leadership approval while opposition parties in those provinces gain.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

VANCOUVER – While BC Premier John Horgan remains at the top in English Canada with his superb performance during the pandemic, Ontario and Alberta premiers see declines in leadership approval while opposition parties in those provinces gain.

Two of Canada’s most prominent Conservative premiers are deep in the depths of the blues this spring, for reasons that have nothing to do with party branding.

Instead, Ontario’s Doug Ford and Alberta’s Jason Kenney are experiencing notable pandemic-related declines in job performance approval, which in turn are affecting – at least for now – their parties’ respective political fortunes.

Ford, whose personal approval soared to almost 70 per cent in the spring of 2020, is now at half that level, down 15 points since last quarter. To the west, Albertans are souring on Kenney, fewer than one-third (31%) approve of his performance, off nine points over the last three months.

On the other end of the spectrum, this has been a period of Atlantic Canadians warming to relatively new premiers. Premier Andrew Furey’s approval gained 17 points in Newfoundland and Labrador, from 45 per cent in March to 62 per cent. And Iain Rankin, whose performance half of Nova Scotians had no opinion of last quarter, gained 22 points in approval, up to 53 per cent.