Liberals surge as Trudeau exits and Trump stirs controversy
Canadian Liberals are outperforming Conservatives in polls for the first time since 2021. It turns out that controversial comments from Donald Trump and the resignation of Justin Trudeau have influenced this shift.
Canadian Liberals have gained an edge over the Conservatives in the latest Ipsos poll, marking the first such result since 2021.
The survey, conducted between February 21 and 24 on a sample of 1,000 adult Canadians, shows that support for the Liberal Party has risen to 38%, which is an increase of 10 percentage points compared to the beginning of the month. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party saw a 5 percentage point drop, reaching 36%.
The impact of Donald Trump on Canadian politics
The rise in support for the Liberals is linked to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation and statements by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump announced imposing a 25% tariff on Canada and referred to the country as the "51st state of the USA."
"But the results echo multiple recent polls indicating the Liberals are closing the gap between the Conservatives in the seven weeks since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation and as the country braces for damaging U.S. tariffs set to take effect next week," notes Global News.
Canadians want quick elections
An overwhelming 86% of Canadians favour quick elections so that the country can have a prime minister and government with a strong mandate to deal with Donald Trump's policies. Support for the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois has also decreased, reaching 12% and 6%, respectively. "The federal Liberals haven’t seen numbers higher than the Conservatives in Ipsos polling since 2021," analysts highlight.
