As proof positive that politics is fickle, the latest Angus Reid public opinion survey on the popularity of the various provincial Premiers shows considerable change from just a year ago. Angus Reid has done these surveys monthly for years, so there is a good amount of historical data to provide comparisons over time.
In the most recent survey for December 2025, the two premiers at the top of the rankings were Wab Kinew of Manitoba at 58 per cent and Susan Holt of New Brunswick at 56 per cent. Both premiers are relatively new, and a honeymoon period typically follows every politician’s first election as they haven’t yet had the opportunity to turn a good portion of the electorate against them. Kinew has been interesting to date since, as an NDP premier, he has implemented policies that would not be typical for that party. After a year in power, Kinew eliminated the gas tax for 2024 and is actively pursuing votes in rural areas, usually the preserve of Conservatives. He is also determined to balance the provincial budget via spending cuts, not tax increases. Kinew is also the first Canadian premier with First Nations credentials.
Next in the rankings was Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe with 53 per cent. Moe has been premier for almost eight years, presiding over a majority government for that entire period. This is an especially impressive amount of time, considering that his predecessor, Brad Wall, was from the same political party and was premier for over 10 years. The Saskatchewan Party has therefore been in charge in the province for 18 years, an exceptionally long time for any party. Saskatchewan voters clearly support the province standing up to Ottawa and advocating for the province’s resource and agricultural sectors, as Wall and Moe consistently have done. In recent years, Moe has joined with Alberta to oppose federal measures that would damage the Prairie economy.
Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston is next in line with 50 per cent support, followed by Danielle Smith in Alberta with 44 per cent. Smith has had a challenging time in recent months as a significant part of her support base strongly favours separation of Alberta from Canada and is very vocal about promoting a referendum to have Albertans vote on the question. So far, there is no indication a majority of Albertans would support separating from Canada, but more abuse of the province from Liberal Ottawa could certainly change that quickly. The fact that Smith retains a decent level of support, in the middle of the pack of premiers, is a testament to her careful handing of differences of opinion within the United Conservative Party.
Tony Wakeham from Newfoundland and Labrador follows with 41 per cent, but as he’s only been in power with a surprise win for the Progressive Conservative party for just over a month, there is not too much on which to base this survey result. Following Wakeham is David Eby of B.C. with 40 per cent. Considering Eby’s recent scandals with his secretive and underhanded support of First Nations’ property rights over legal private landowners and mishandling of the province’s finances, it’s surprising his rating is not even lower. P.E.I. was not given a ranking in this survey as the sample size was too small.
In the basement of premier rankings were Doug Ford of Ontario and François Legault of Quebec. Ford’s rating dropped significantly from 41 per cent in September 2025 to 34 per cent in December. It seems the Ford scandals over things like Greenbelt lands development, which is still under a police investigation, to the recent issue over the spending of billions of dollars in the Skills Development Fund which has sparked calls for the responsible minister, David Piccini, to resign or be fired. Despite falling popularity, Ford continues to benefit from disarray in other provincial political parties such as the Liberals’ lack of a permanent leader and a weak NDP opposition.
Legault’s position in last place with 25 per cent is perhaps the story with the most disruptive potential for Canada. The once-popular leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) has for some time been suffering declining support. Legault has been premier for over 7 years, and some policies of his regarding healthcare and economic issues have hit his support hard. A recent Leger poll put Legault and the CAQ at 18 per cent support as compared to 39 per cent for the Parti Quebecois (PQ) and 21 per cent for the provincial Liberals. If elected, the separatist PQ is promising to hold yet another referendum on Quebec independence, despite the fact there doesn’t seem to be a lot of support for separation among Quebecers at present. However it may turn out, just the prospect of another referendum is going to add another degree of uncertainty for Canada’s economy and society, which will not help our already-fragile circumstances.
This latest poll appears to suggest even more turbulence in Canada over the next year, when we are already anticipating sluggish economic growth, national unity disruption from several sources and the possibility of another federal election as Prime Minister Mark Carney seems to be willing to throw the dice if he thinks he can accomplish a majority government. Batten down the hatches Canadians. We’re in for a challenging ride.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
