Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still riding the wave of âsunny ways,â according to recent poll numbers. But what could eventually cloud the publicâs view of the charismatic leader?
Appearing on CTVâs Question Period, party strategists agreed that Trudeau is still enjoying his honeymoon period as the new prime minister. And according to pollster Nik Nanos, the numbers reflect that reality as well.
Federal governmentâs performance rating highest in nine years
A conducted for the Institute for Research on Public Policy shows 60.2 per cent of Canadians rated the federal governmentâs performance as âvery goodâ (36.9 per cent) or âgoodâ (23.3 per cent), representing a nine-year high on this measure. The previous nine-year high was 40.2 per cent after former prime minister Stephen Harper won a majority government in 2011, according to the study.
The poll is based on the complied views of 1,000 Canadians between Dec. 18 and 21, 2015. The sample included both landline and cellphones across Canada. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
âThe honeymoon, mathematically, is still on for Justin Trudeau. Weâll have to wait and see until the House convenes and the spring budget rolls out,â said Nanos.
But for CTV political analyst and Liberal Scott Reid, it isnât just a honeymoon period.
âPeople seem to want him (Trudeau) to succeed,â said Reid. âTheyâre trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. I presume over time that will balance out. But right now, when rain falls into his garden, it just means plants are going to grow.â
Summa Strategiesâ Michele Austin, a Conservative strategist, says Reid is âliving in The Lego Movieâ where âeverything is awesome all the time.â She says itâs only a matter of time until the Liberals have a âfull court pressed against them.â
âOf course the Liberals should enjoy it. Whatâs going right for them? The House of Commons sat for a week (last year). The other two parties are going through leadership issues,â said Austin. âLetâs wait until the big issues come to the table, and theyâre coming.â
As Trudeau rides high, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is low in the polls, according to Nanosâ numbers. Only about one in every ten Canadians prefer him as prime minister, said Nanos, compared to 30 per cent on this front during the election.
âHe hasnât really recovered from the election where Canadians had very high expectations,â said Nanos. âThe reality is when Canadians look at Tom Mulcair, theyâre going to be wondering what his future is.â
In April, Mulcair will undergo a leadership review at his partyâs convention in Edmonton. But heâs facing pressure to step aside. Last week, Ontario NDP MPP that Mulcair has to go because âheâs tainted.â
NDP pundit Alex Bushell says he thinks Mulcair can survive the leadership review, especially if he continues to perform well in the House of Commons.
âI think what Tom needs to do when the House comes back is show that he can mount serious trouble to the Liberals, show their shortcomings, and I think that people will come around,â said Bushell.