A majority of Canadians have heard about Chrystia Freeland’s sudden resignation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, a new poll released Tuesday finds.
The Abacus Data poll found that 44 per cent of Canadians were following Mr. Freeland’s resignation closely or very closely, and 39 per cent had heard about Mr. Freeland’s resignation. 19% of those surveyed said they had not heard about the news. The poll was conducted Monday through Tuesday morning at 5 p.m. ET.
“In this short period of time, this is a pretty significant development for our coverage of politics in Ottawa,” Abacus Data CEO David Collette said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with CTV’s Power Play about the new data. ” he said.
The poll also found that 67 per cent of Canadians think Prime Minister Trudeau should resign, but only 19 per cent think he should remain Liberal leader.
Mr Collett told host Vassy Kapelos: “I think the fact that barely one in five people said we should stay is a reflection of what we’ve known for a long time.” . “The Prime Minister’s own favorability ratings, satisfaction with the government, and satisfaction with the Prime Minister personally were already very, very low.”
“I think yesterday’s news just pushed a few more people into the column, probably people who thought their time was up,” Collette added.
On Monday, hours before the Autumn Economic Statement was to be released, Mr Freeland announced he would resign as deputy prime minister and finance minister, dealing a major political blow to the prime minister.
In a scathing letter to Mr. He said that The move caused confusion across Parliament Hill, from the federal government trying to rush through a major economic announcement to Trudeau’s caucus calling an emergency meeting.
Prior to Freeland’s resignation, Trudeau had already faced months of questions about his leadership amid declining poll numbers. But Freeland is now the most prominent figure within his caucus to challenge him and the direction of the federal government.
New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who is calling for Prime Minister Trudeau to resign, described Freeland as “our Nancy Pelosi” and pressured US President Joe Biden to cancel the 2024 presidential election. He likened it to the former Democratic House speaker, who is said to be credited with having achieved this goal.
“For her to send out a letter like that, it was frank and direct, and especially the timing, I think it was really sent that way to do maximum damage,” Long said. he said in an interview. Tuesday on CTV’s Power Play. “This is a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. This is a vote of no confidence in our government.”
Meanwhile, former Ontario Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne said she hopes a decision will be made soon on Trudeau’s next move.
“We need to know who is leading our government, and I think this confusion right now is very distracting… No matter who goes anywhere, this is the topic of conversation,” Wynn said Tuesday. He spoke during a panel discussion on CTV Power Play. I’m engaged, but I’m engaged because I’m worried. ”
You can read the full interview with Abacus Data CEO David Coletto at the top of the article.
