The outlook for British Columbia’s economy is bright compared with the rest of the country, but our premier’s approval rating is the third-lowest in the country, according to an Angus Reid study released February 17.
However, the good news for Clark is her ranking has not changed much in the past year and a half.
“B.C. Premier Christy Clark’s approval rating is statistically unchanged, down three points from last quarter to 31%,” the research organization said in its report.
“Clark has earned an approval rating in this range—between 30% and 34%—on job performance from British Columbians since September of 2014.”
One of the reasons for Clark’s decreasing rating may be the unknown fate of B.C.’s LNG industry—a sector she has promoted heavily.
Unlike Clark, Alberta’s Rachel Notley’s rating has plummeted in the last several months as that province has taken a beating from the slumping price of oil.
“Since her landmark victory propelling the NDP to government last spring, Albertans’ endorsement of Rachel Notley’s job performance has declined as steadily as the economic fortunes of the once-powerhouse province,” Angus Reid said.
In December, 45% of those polled in Alberta approved of Notley’s performance. In the most recent poll, this number had dropped to 33%.
Despite Saskatchewan’s resource dependence, that province’s Premier Brad Wall has not had a similar drop in popularity, however. A vast majority of those polled—62%—say they still approve of his performance. This is largely unchanged since the last poll. In fact, Brad Wall is the most popular premier in Canada in terms of approval rating.
Why the difference? Angus Reid points out that it may be because in the past year, Alberta’s unemployment rate has increased three times more than Saskatchewan’s.
The second-most approved-of premier is Newfoundland and Labrador’s Dwight Ball, with a rating of 60%. Ball is new to the job, however, and may see his popularity dip as time goes on, Angus Reid said.
The premiers with the lowest approval ratings in the country are Ontario’s Kathleen Wynne (27%) and Manitoba’s Greg Selinger (19%).
Clark’s low ranking in the Angus Reid poll comes in contrast with a recent Fraser Institute report that found she was the country’s best fiscal manager.
@EmmaHampelBIV
