More And More Canadians Are Turning Against Trudeau
Growing displays of anger from the prime minister show he’s buckling under the weight of his profound failure.
By Spencer Fernando, Exclusive to the National Citizens Coalition
Justin Trudeau should have been in a positive mood on Monday.
He was in Ontario alongside Premier Doug Ford to announce the expansion of a plant in Napanee.
It’s the kind of announcement a deeply unpopular government is desperate for.
But Justin Trudeau wasn’t in a good mood.
Instead, he was downright angry.
When asked an innocuous question about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s call for tariffs on China, Trudeau became visibly enraged and lashed out:
“It’s a bit of a joke that Poilievre is suddenly talking about workers in the industry,” said Trudeau.“For (Poilievre) to suddenly turn around and say, ‘Oh, we’re worried about EVs,’ that’s baloney. He’s looking for a political angle. Because that’s all he does,” Trudeau added.
Aside from how absurd it is for a politician to criticize another politician for trying to find a ‘political angle,’ and aside from the fact that no prime minister has been as anti-worker as Justin Trudeau, what stood out wasn’t what Trudeau said, but the look on his face as he said it.
It wasn’t just performative anger.
The anger was real.
But the anger was widely out of step with the question being asked.
Rather, Trudeau looks like someone who is beginning to unravel as he is forcibly weaned off the narcissistic supply of public adulation he once received.
Not only have the Liberals been unable to turn the polls around, but their polling numbers are worsening.
No matter what Trudeau says or does, Canadians are no longer swayed. In fact, it seems the more Trudeau tries to regain his long-lost popularity, the more support the Liberals lose even among groups that once formed the core of their voter coalition.
For example, a recent Abacus Data survey showed the Liberals trailing by 21% points among female voters, with Trudeau’s party winning 21% support among that voter segment compared to the Conservatives at 42%. The Liberals are in third place among female voters, with the NDP at 22%.
Among male voters, the Liberals have 26%, compared to the Conservatives at 44%.
And so, not only has the gender gap disappeared, but the Liberals now trail by a larger margin among female voters.
Trudeau is also being rejected personally, with just 25% of Canadians holding a positive impression of the Prime Minister compared to 58% who have a negative impression.
By contrast, 42% of Canadians have a positive impression of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, compared to 35% who have a negative impression. That 42% number is the highest for Poilievre in an Abacus Data survey, indicating that Liberal attacks are completely failing to make a dent in Poilievre’s support.
As for Trudeau’s coalition partner Jagmeet Singh, there are growing indications that he is paying a price for tying his brand to Trudeau’s.
33% of Canadians hold a positive impression of the NDP Leader, compared to 37% who hold a negative impression of him. As noted by Abacus, that 37% negative impression number is “the highest we have recorded” for Singh.
This turn against the Liberals extends to specific issues.
On all issues except one (the environment), Canadians see the Conservatives as the best party to manage things. The Conservatives lead the Liberals by 29 points on managing the rising cost of living, by 6 points on healthcare, by 21 points on housing affordability and accessibility, by 34 points on the economy, and by a whopping 52 points on immigration.
Even worse for the Liberals is that they are in third place – narrowly trailing the NDP – on the cost of living, healthcare, and housing affordability.
So, it’s no wonder that Justin Trudeau appears more and more unhinged.
For years, Trudeau got a free ride.
He had some of the most favourable media coverage this country has ever seen.
He was handed a safe, stable, and prosperous country by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
He was handed a country with a sterling reputation around the world.
He was handed a country with an immigration system that was envied by many of our closest allies.
And, even after squandering much of this, he was given a political reprieve when the Covid pandemic and lockdowns led to widespread economic damage across the world, enabling him to shift the blame to external events.
But now, shifting the blame is no longer possible.
The Liberals have been in power too long to credibly blame others.
No amount of gaslighting and skewed media coverage can distract Canadians from the objective reality that life in Canada is getting worse and worse on Trudeau’s watch.
The more Trudeau tries and fails to manipulate Canadians into rejecting what we see all around us, the angrier he becomes.
Yet, as bad as things are in this country right now, the failure of Trudeau’s gaslighting is a deeply positive development. We have good reason to be hopeful about the future if we can get Trudeau out of office, and there’s every indication Canadians not only want Trudeau to lose but to lose decisively.
Trudeau is buckling under the pressure, which means we need to keep the pressure on.
With the renewal of Canadian prosperity within reach, now is the time for us to redouble our efforts to ensure that we fire Trudeau.
Spencer Fernando is one of the most popular and prolific political voices in Canada. He is a writer and campaign fellow for the National Citizens Coalition. Join the mailing list to receive his exclusive weekly columns in your inbox.
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