Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has a public opinion problem at home, and elsewhere.
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She scored the highest disapproval ratings among any Canadian premier in Ontario, and across Canada, in a Mainstreet Research/Postmedia poll that was released on Thursday.
Coverage of Kathleen Wynne on Globalnews.ca:
In Ontario, Wynne scored a 70 per cent disapproval rating and a 19 per cent approval rating.
Her disapproval rating was close to last year’s, when she scored 71 per cent in Ontario. Her approval rating in her home province was unchanged from 2016.
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Wynne’s disapproval at home tied that of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball in his own province, but her approval rating was the lowest of any premier.
Wynne also scored the strongest disapproval rating nationally, hitting 48 per cent, which put her just above Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
The pollster arrived at its results by calling a “random stratified sample” of 5,250 Canadians between June 12 and 15. The poll used both landlines and cellphones.
Responses were “weighted using demographic information to targets based on the 2016 Census.”
Nationally, the survey had a margin of error of +/- 1.35 per cent; the margin varied in the provinces.
The ‘unknown’ advantage
Meanwhile, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister scored the highest approval rating of any premier in their own province, hitting 53 per cent.
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He also received the lowest disapproval rating of any premier in this category.
“Brian Pallister is still unknown on the national stage,” Mainstreet Research president Quito Maggi said in a news release.
Nationally, Pallister received the lowest disapproval rating of any premier, hitting 11 per cent, but he also tied for second-lowest national approval rating, hitting 22 per cent alongside New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant.
Here are Canadian premiers’ approval ratings in their home provinces, from lowest to highest:
10) Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne — 19 per cent
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, centre, is joined by Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa, left, and Ontario Housing Minister Chris Ballard in Toronto on Thursday, April 20, 2017 to speak about Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
9) Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball — 21 per cent
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball listens as Finance Minister Cathy Bennett presents the 2016 provincial budget at the House of Assembly in St.John’s, Thursday, April 14, 2016.
Paul Daly / The Canadian Press
8) Alberta Premier Rachel Notley — 33 per cent
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks about a new hospital that will be built in Edmonton Alta, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
7) New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant — 34 per cent
New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant fields a question at a meeting of the Council of Atlantic Premiers in Annapolis Royal, N.S. on Monday, May 16, 2016.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
6) British Columbia Premier Christy Clark — 37 per cent
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark addresses the media at her office in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, May 10, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
5) Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard — 37 per cent
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard responds to Opposition questions over former premier Jean Charest and Marc Bibeau, during question period Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at the legislature in Quebec City.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
4) Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall — 46 per cent
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall speaks during the closing press conference of the Meeting of First Ministers and National Indigenous Leaders in Ottawa on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
3) Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan — 47 per cent
Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Morris
2) Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil — 50 per cent
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil fields a question as he releases the Liberal platform during a campaign event in Halifax on May 17, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
1) Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister — 53 per cent
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister speaks to media before the provincial throne speech at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg, Monday, May 16, 2016.
The Canadian Press / John Woods / File