In lead up to federal election, majority of Canadians believe politicians can’t be trusted: poll
Posted Jun 25, 2019 10:01 am.
Last Updated Jun 25, 2019 11:45 am.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – You just can’t trust anyone these days, especially politicians, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.
In fact, the results show a majority of Canadians are wary of those who run for office.
It’s definitely not the type of survey federal party leaders would like to see just months ahead of the fall election.
The poll suggests most Canadians don’t have confidence in their politicians, with more than six-in-10 respondents saying they just can’t be trusted, and only less than a third saying they can.
“Sixty-three per cent of Canadians overall saying that they agree with that statement, that they can’t trust their politicians in this country, and that really holds no matter where you are in the country,” Dave Korzinski with the institute explains.
Source: Angus Reid Institute
He says Canadians also question the motives of those that run for office.
“About half in most instances say that it’s a combination of personal gain and to serve their communities, but that other half lean quite heavily towards saying that politicians are doing this for personal gain.”
Provincially, the poll finds the highest mistrust of politicians is in Ontario, followed by Alberta.
A boost in the polls
While there seems to be distrust among voters and politicians, new survey results from Nanos Research suggest the federal Liberals are getting a polling boost, just as MPs start hitting up the summer barbecue circuit.
The federal race is now a political dead heat ahead of the October vote. According to Nanos Research, both the Liberals and the Conservatives are now tied in public support at 33 per cent.
That’s a big difference from just a week ago, when the governing Grits were trailing the opposition Tories by four points.
The Trudeau Liberals have been in second place in many polls since late February, because of the SNC-Lavalin controversy, but since that has died down, they’ve been slowly closing the gap.
The NDP is coming in at 17 points, while the Greens are at 10.
On top of the general tie, Justin Trudeau is seen as the preferred prime minister, but Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is nipping at his heels.
Read the full Nanos Research survey:
Political-Package-2019-06-21-FR3
