Conservative leader Andrew Sheer (left) is seen as the better leader on economy, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still seen as the better overall prime minister, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.

Conservative leader Andrew Sheer (left) is seen as the better leader on economy, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still seen as the better overall prime minister, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.
Photo Credit: Canadian Press

Trudeau maintains majority approval, but new Conservative leader narrows vote intention gap

A year and a half into his mandate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to enjoy the approval of more than half of Canadians, but the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party is already being viewed as better suited to deal with the economic issues facing Canada, according to a new poll.

With approval ratings standing at 54 per cent, Trudeau is still widely seen as the best prime minister, but Andrew Sheer is seen as the better leader to handle economic issues by nearly three-in-ten Canadians, according to a new Angus Reid Institute analysis of quarterly public opinion polling data from more than 5,400 Canadian adults.

The confidence in Sheer’s ability to get a handle on the economy could be critical during an election.

When asked to choose their top two issues facing Canada today, the economy is chosen as the top issue, while other economy-related topics – the deficit, unemployment and taxes – all feature prominently on the list of concern, according to the poll.

Overall, some three-quarters of Canadians put economic issues at the top of their list.

The country’s ballooning deficit is the most important issue facing the country for one-in-four Canadians.

If an election were held tomorrow, the Liberals hold only a three-point advantage over the Conservatives, 37 per cent to 34 per cent, according to the poll.

But there is also some good news for the Trudeau Liberals.

Only about one-in-four Canadians say their standard of living is worse off now than it was a year ago. That’s the lowest level recorded since 2010, when Conservatives were in power.

In addition, one-in-five say that they expect their situation to improve over the next year.

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