Legault's Approval Reached A 'New Low' In A Recent Survey... But It's Still Pretty High
If the election were held today, he'd probably still be in power.
Premier François Legault's approval rating might have reached a "new low" since his party's rise to power but he's still winning over a majority of Quebecers, a recent Angus Reid Institute survey suggests.
His approval dipped three points, from 55% to 52%, between the institute's January and March premier performance surveys. The latest survey reached 865 Quebecers between March 10 and 15, 2022.
The ARI says inflation is a possible factor in Legault's slight decline in popularity. The opposition, the Quebec Liberal Party, has criticized the Coalition Avenir Quebec government for what it has perceived as a slow response to rising costs.
The ARI recalls the PLQ's proposal to suspend the sales tax on some essential goods and Hydro-Québec bills. Legault has only promised he wouldn't let Hydro bills increase by "4 or 5%" in 2023 to keep up with inflation. He also vowed to "put money in the wallets" of Quebecers with the next provincial budget, which the government is set to present on March 22.
Despite the dip, Legault fares better than most premiers in the ARI survey. He's behind only Nova Scotia's Tim Houston (73% approval) and British Columbia's John Horgan (55%).
At the bottom of the pack are Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick (36% approval), Jason Kenney of Alberta (30%) and Heather Stefanson of Manitoba (25%).
Kenney has survived a yearslong slide in approval that culminated in a low of 22% in the September 2021 ARI survey. His approval was 30% in the March 2022 survey.
