Pollster Angus Reid tells us today that Saskatchewan's Brad Wall – he who got the feds to back down on that giant Potash deal — is the most popular premier in the country with 63 per cent of those in Canada's flattest province approving of the way he is doing his job. At the other end of the scale, just 13 per cent of Quebeckers approve of the way Jean Charest is going about his business. The pollster surveyed more than 6,000 from its online panel in nine provinces.
You can read Angus Reid's results yourself but what I found interesting in the top-to-bottom ranking (below) is that, aside from Wall, all the new kids on the Confederation's block seem to be a lot more popular than the old timers:
- Brad Wall SK – 63% approval rating
- Kathy Dunderdale NF – 55%
- David Alward NB – 42%
- Greg Selinger MB – 34%
- Darrell Dexter NS – 26%
- Ed Stelmach AB – 21%
- Dalton McGuinty ON / Gordon Campbell BC – 16%
- Jean Charest QC – 13%
Of some now, we will have provincial elections later this year for sure in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and PEI. (Premier Ghiz didn't make Angus Reid's poll). We were to have one in Alberta this fall but the Progressive Conservative leadership race there puts that on hold. Meanwhile, B.C. was not scheduled to have a provincial election but Christy Clark, who, on the weekend, won the race to succeed Campbell has suggested that she will seek a mandate from the voters sooner than later.