B.C. premier’s support slipping, despite turmoil within opposition party: poll

B.C. Premier David Eby has seen his support slip in recent months, with only 40 per cent of those taking part in a new Angus Reid poll saying they support him — down from 53 per cent in March.

The polling firm says a projected historic deficit of $11 billion this fiscal year could be behind the decline but that this is not the only possible reason.

“Some have criticized the government for failing to follow through on key campaign promises from the fall of 2024, including those [relating to] the cost of living, housing, and health care,” it said in the report, released Friday.

Angus Reid says the bump in Eby’s popularity in March — which was up from 46 per cent in September 2024 — related to a boost in support in the initial wake of tariff threats from the United States.

This latest drop in support for Eby and his NDP party comes in spite of what is happening within the opposition BC Conservatives. That party saw its now-former leader, John Rustad, step down Thursday, but even before that, internal pressure was causing turmoil among its MLAs. Angus Reid says only 19 per cent of British Columbians have a favourable or very favourable opinion of the provincial Conservatives.

According to the poll, Eby is now the country’s seventh most popular premier. He has less support than Alberta’s Danielle Smith, with 44 per cent of those saying they approve of her, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Tony Wakeham (41 per cent), who was just sworn in in October.

The most popular premier in Canada is Manitoba’s Wab Kinew, with 58 per cent of those polled saying they approve of his performance. This is closely followed by New Brunswick’s Susan Holt (56 per cent) and Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe (53 per cent).

The premiers with the lowest levels of support in the country are Quebec’s Francois Legault (25 per cent) and Ontario’s Doug Ford (34 per cent).