Oh Canada: PM Justin Trudeau approval rating falls below 50 per cent for 1st time since taking office

cbc.ca - Justin Trudeau's approval ratings have dropped to their lowest level since he became prime minister, according to a new poll. But an analysis of the popularity of his predecessors suggests Trudeau's sliding numbers are typical of a prime minister roughly 15 months after taking office.

The survey, published by Forum Research for the Toronto Star, found Trudeau's approval rating sitting at 48 per cent, down three points since December and 10 points since November, with his disapproval rating increasing to 42 from 32 per cent two months ago.

Those are the worst numbers Forum — or any other pollster — has registered for Trudeau since he became prime minister.

Support for the Liberal Party has also slipped, with Forum pegging it at 42 per cent. That is unchanged from December but down nine points from November. A four-week rolling poll by Nanos Research found Liberal support down to 39.4 per cent, a decrease from 43.6 per cent in the previous four-week sample.

This drop in support coincides with questions raised about the Liberals' fundraising practices and the prime minister's vacation in the Bahamas, where he stayed on the private island of the Aga Khan. Canada's ethics commissioner has launched an investigation of the trip.

But while Trudeau's drop in support is a shift from the consistently high numbers he and his party enjoyed during his first year in office, it is not unusual from a historical perspective.

Of the eight last prime ministers who were in the job long enough, and for whom polling data exists, Trudeau's approval rating ranks as the fifth highest compared to where his predecessors stood 15 months after taking office. (continueReading