What to know
- The Ontario PCs now lead the Liberals 39 to 35 per cent, reversing a five-point Liberal lead from July.
- Doug Ford’s approval rating has climbed from 24 per cent to 36 per cent, although 61 per cent still disapprove.
- Most Ontarians continue to say the province is headed in the wrong direction.
- Support is high for retaliatory measures against the U.S. amid the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade dispute.
Just a month after the Liberals held a five-point lead over the Progressive Conservatives, a new poll has the PCs ahead by four points, with Premier Doug Ford also seeing a bump in his approval rating.
The latest Liaison Strategies poll puts the PCs at 39 per cent among decided and leaning voters, followed by the Liberals at 35 per cent and the NDP at 20 per cent.
The poll displays a major difference from July, when the Liberals led 38 per cent to 33 per cent over the PCs and the NDP sat at 24 per cent.
The latest poll was conducted Aug. 23 and 24, as new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods took effect and Ford’s public feud with U.S. President Donald Trump intensified.
Ford’s approval rating has also bounced back.
In July, just 24 per cent of Ontarians approved of the job he was doing as premier, while 72 per cent disapproved. Now, his approval sits at 36 per cent, although 61 per cent still disapprove.
Despite the shift, Ontarians aren’t exactly feeling positive about the province, 72 per cent say Ontario is headed in the wrong direction, compared with 27 per cent who say it is headed in the right direction.
Ontarians back retaliation against U.S.
The survey also found strong support for several retaliatory measures against the United States.
Eighty-three per cent support matching U.S. tariffs dollar-for-dollar, while 85 per cent support keeping American beer, wine and spirits out of LCBO stores until a satisfactory trade agreement is reached.
Another 72 per cent support adding a charge to electricity exported from Ontario to the U.S. while continuing to supply the electricity.
The provincial race also looks very different depending on where you are in Ontario. The Liberals lead in Toronto 44 per cent to 29 per cent, while the PCs lead in the 905 by 41 per cent to 38 per cent.
There’s also a gender split, with the Liberals leading among women 41 per cent to 33 per cent, while the PCs lead among men 46 per cent to 30 per cent.
The Liaison survey polled 1,500 Ontarians on Aug. 23 and 24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
