WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2019) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces record-low approval ratings ahead of next week's national elections, a Gallup poll revealed on Thursday.
"Support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fallen sharply since 2016, his first full year in office, when nearly three in four (72 percent) said they approved," a press release summarizing the poll said. "In 2019, for the first time, Canadians are more likely to say they disapprove (52 percent) than to say they approve (46 percent) of Trudeau's job performance."
Trudeau faces blowback from a carbon tax imposed on provinces that fail to meet emission reduction targets as well as voter fears of declining living standards, the release said.
"The prime minister's carbon tax program has been bogged down by political infighting and concerns that heavily coal-dependent provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan will suffer too much economically," the release said.
In addition, pocketbook issues have gained ground in the past two years, with the proportion of adults saying their standard of living is improving falling 10 percentage points to 52 percent, according to the poll.
A separate poll by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation predicts the election will result in a minority government, with support for the two largest parties, Conservatives and Liberals, below 33 percent.
