By Staff
March 25, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Trade war with the U.S. has caused not only federal political upheaval, but provincial turmoil as well. That is perhaps most evident in the Angus Reid Institute’s quarterly premier approval ratings, which show a significant turn of fortune for many of the country’s first ministers.
New data illustrates some of the country’s premiers have received a “Trump bump” in approval. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, sitting in the low 30s for nearly two years, is now approved of by half (48%) in his province after a star-turn during trade negotiations with the U.S. that has some dubbing him “Captain Canada”.
In this sea change of opinion, perhaps what is most notable are the premiers whose approval rating is statistically unchanged from December. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has also taken a lead role in U.S.-Canada relations during this trade war, sees approval (46%) that is unchanged from two years ago. In Quebec, approval of Premier François Legault is statistically unchanged from three months ago at 38 per cent. In both cases, domestic scandal – another one in health care for Smith, and one over the cost overruns of the online platform for the province’s auto insurance corporation for Legault – may be weighing down any positive lift from their responses to Trump.
Now take a look at previous Angus Reid ratings:
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