A recent poll shows Premier David Eby’s approval rating may be slipping as B.C.’s next provincial election approaches.
Results from a poll by the Angus Reid Institue (ARI) suggest only 43 per cent of B.C. respondents moderately or strongly approve of Eby’s performance as premier, down five points from the previous poll.
That puts him in sixth place among Canadian premiers, behind Alberta’s Danielle Smith with 45 per cent, and Manitoba’s Wab Kinew with 66 per cent.
ARI cited recent political moves as part of the reason for Eby’s decline in popularity.
“With the federal politics landscape shifting in the province, premier and BC NDP leader David Eby is trying a new tact. Eby criticized the federal government for uneven funding on immigration, and a lack of infrastructure funding for the province, in what’s seen as a shift in tone,” the institute said.
“This comes as the province changes course on its drug decriminalization pilot project, which began in January 2023 and is scheduled to last three years. It was heavily criticized by both BC United and the BC Conservatives.”
The poll was conducted as an online survey for six days last week among a “representative randomized” sample of 4,204 Canadians. It has a reported four per cent margin of error.
B.C.’s next provincial election is slated for Oct. 19.