The Ontario Liberals may win another majority government in the next provincial election if Kathleen Wynne is no longer leader of the party.
According to a Mainstreet/Postmedia poll released on Thursday, 39 per cent of decided voters would vote for the Liberals if the party had a different leader. The Progressives Conservatives are four points behind with 35 per cent support.
The numbers change drastically if Premier Wynne stays at the helm for the 2018 election with only 28 per cent of decided voters supporting the party compared to 43 per cent for the Patrick Brown-led Ontario PCs.
READ MORE: Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne booed over rising hydro rates
“As we approach the mid-term of Kathleen Wynne’s mandate, it appears her own popularity lags the Liberal brand drastically,” President of Mainstreet Research Quito Maggi said.
“Her personal credibility on the left end of the political spectrum is now gone. With a widely unpopular Hydro One privatization, her accomplishments in Education, Healthcare, Environment and Transit go unnoticed.”
When it comes to leadership approval ratings, 67 per cent of those polled said they disapprove of the way Wynne is handling her job as premier.
In contrast, 56 per cent approve of NDP leader Andrea Horwath followed by 44 per cent support for PC leader Patrick Brown.
READ MORE: Wynne’s promised tax break on hydro bills does little in the long run, say critics
The rising cost of electricity continues to haunt the Liberals despite a promise to eliminate the eight per cent provincial portion of the 13 per cent harmonized sales tax (HST) on hydro bills for homes, small businesses, and farms in the province.
The survey found that 48 per cent don’t believe the Liberals have gone far enough to reduce the cost of electricity with the province’s investments to green energy (39 per cent) as the main contributing factor to the increase.
Mainstreet surveyed a random sample of 2,562 Ontario residents between September 17-18 with a margin of error of +/- 1.94 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Mainstreet – Ontario September by Mainstreet on Scribd
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