WATCH ABOVE: Margaret Trudeau on health and her son’s falling poll numbers
OTTAWA — The man who was once the top pick among Canadians for prime minister today finds himself in third place, trailing Stephen Harper and NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, a poll released Monday shows.
After he was elected Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau took the title of “who Canadians think would make the best prime minister” from Harper; he hung on to it until now.
Harper has reclaimed the lead, with 38 per cent support from respondents to the Ipsos poll conducted for Global News. Mulcair’s seven-point climb, meanwhile, puts him up at 31 per cent support, a small step in front of Trudeau who’s now sitting at 30 per cent.
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“Recognition for Trudeau as the choice of best prime minister for Canada has tumbled significantly along with 10 of 11 other leadership attributes tested, as Mulcair’s rising leadership qualities have eclipsed the falling star in many cases,” the pollsters wrote in a release.
Areas in which Canadians’ opinions on Trudeau fell, compared to February 2014 data, include:
- Someone you can trust (down seven points)
- Someone who wants to be prime minister for the right reasons (down seven points)
- Someone who has a vision for Canada you can support (down seven points)
- Someone who will best represent Canada on the world stage (down seven points)
- Someone who has what it takes to lead Canada (down five points)
- Someone who will support an open and ethical government (down five points)
The only poll question that saw Trudeau gain any points, albeit just one point, asked whether respondents considered him to have a secret agenda.
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Mulcair, meanwhile, climbed anywhere from one to four points in each of the categories Trudeau fell — but Mulcair, too, had more people who said they believe he has a hidden agenda.
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Interestingly enough, Harper was the only one among the three leaders who lost points in that category, with fewer respondents today saying they believe he has a secret agenda than in February 2014 — though he still leads the pack with 48 per cent compared to 33 per cent for Trudeau and 19 per cent for Mulcair.
With his gains, Harper now leads in each of the 11 leadership attributes measured in this poll, save for one; he came in last, but only one point behind Trudeau and two behind Mulcair, when respondents were asked whether they believed he would provide an open, responsible and ethical government.
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While polls go up and down, left and right, it’s easy to wonder just how much attention political leaders pay them. Trudeau’s mother, Margaret, offered a hint Tuesday morning during an interview on Global’s The Morning Show — not much.
Politics is in her son’s blood; her father was a federal politician and, of course, her husband Pierre Trudeau served as prime minister from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984.
“Pierre told us so long ago, ‘Don’t listen to the polls,’” she said during an interview promoting her new book. “I just wish him well, he’s a wonderful man.”
Exclusive Global News Ipsos polls are protected by copyright. The information and/or data may only be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper credit and attribution to “Global News Ipsos Reid.” This poll was conducted between April 2 and April 7, with a sample of 1,001 Canadians and is accurate to within 3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
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