Canada’s most trusted party leader might be the one most of us can’t vote for
Canada's political leaders are facing a significant trust deficit with voters as the federal election campaign begins, according to new data provided exclusively to the Star.
Ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to call a snap election for Sept. 20, public relations firm Navigator Ltd. canvassed voters about their impressions of the federal leaders. The overall results of the Discover by Navigator survey suggest that Canadians don't much care for them, and certainly don't trust them.
Conservative Erin O'Toole fared the poorest among the federal leaders on Navigator's trust score" metric, with a net negative score of -38, while Trudeau scored -11 and New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh came in at -3.
The score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of respondents who had little/no trust" in a leader from the percentage who said they trust a leader a lot/some." Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet led the pack - albeit only among voters in Quebec - with a score of +9. (The survey did not give a trust" score to Green Leader Annamie Paul.)
Navigator principal Andre Turcotte said the results suggest voters are seeking authenticity" in their political leaders.
People have a radar and they can read authenticity or being real, and I think that's what's coming through here," he said. They see Blanchet and Singh, they're able to connect with them, and they are who they are - and people are reacting favourably to that."
Canadians' lack of trust was even more pronounced for political parties generally (-43) and large corporations (-44). The media received a score of -9.
It's perhaps unsurprising that the sitting prime minister has a trust deficit. Over six years in government, Trudeau has been the subject of a number of ethics investigations, reneged on a number of previous campaign promises and has failed to follow through on others.
O'Toole, meanwhile, lost the trust of some within his own movement after announcing the party would put a price on carbon - commonly known among conservatives as a carbon tax" - despite campaigning against such a policy during the party's 2020 leadership race.
Navigator also asked voters to list words they associated with each of the leaders - an exercise won far and away by Singh, who respondents described as someone who is capable," believable," understands" and is confident."
Trudeau and O'Toole, on the other hand, inspired some choice descriptions from respondents, including disappointing," inconsistent," arrogant" and, for O'Toole, dull."
In O'Toole's case, first impressions have not been positive," said Turcotte.
Justin Trudeau is well known, so people have more of a basis as to why they have all these negative associations," he said. So for Mr. O'Toole, the problem is that first impressions in politics are important, and the first impression has not gone very well."
The survey also found that 58 per cent of respondents feel it is time for a change and the country needs a new government." That feeling ran strongest among millennials (61 per cent), men (61 per cent) and voters in the Prairies (68 per cent).
When the survey asked if Canada is on the right track, however, it found respondents almost evenly split, with 51 per cent agreeing and 49 per cent disagreeing. The highest level of approval was among Gen Z voters (68 per cent) and those in Atlantic Canada (63 per cent), while 62 per cent of Albertans said the country is on the wrong track).
Discover by Navigator conducted an online survey of 1,825 Canadians between Aug. 6 and Aug. 11. The results are considered accurate within 2.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Alex Boutilier is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @alexboutilier