Most Canadians say Liberals falling short, but still approve of Carney: poll
OTTAWA — Most Canadians say Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has fallen short on its campaign promises, even as his overall satisfaction and approval ratings edge upward, a new Postmedia-Leger poll finds .
“There’s a lot of things to like about Mr. Carney’s experience and credentials that people gravitated to during the election and hold true now,” said Leger executive vice-president Andrew Enns, in an interview.
“But when we start to dig deeper, people don’t feel that we’ve made a lot of progress.”
In an online survey of just under 1,600 Canadian adults from coast-to-coast, 72 per cent said they were “disappointed with the progress” the Carney government has made in tackling the cost-of-living crisis. Another 64 per cent shared similar frustration with his pledge to temper government spending to offset a growing deficit.
The new data come on the heels of Carney’s much-anticipated budget, a plan that many Canadians, struggling with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, had hoped would bring some relief.
The fiscal blueprint — billed as a “generational investment” in the country’s future — has taken criticism by opposition parties since its Tuesday tabling.
“On behalf of all the Canadians who can no longer afford to eat, heat or house themselves because of Liberal inflation, we, Conservatives, cannot support this costly Liberal budget,” said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during his speech in the House in response to Carney’s budget.
However, Enns said that Leger’s latest polling could be “frustrating” for Conservatives.
“For Conservatives, their biggest issues are affordability, and that’s where the current government is performing the poorest according to the Canadian population,” said Enns.
“Yet it’s not translating into increased support for the Conservatives, who have continued to make cost-of-living a very important part of their messaging.”
If an election were held today, the Conservatives wouldn’t have much to celebrate either.
Liberals maintain a steady lead of 43 per cent of the vote, with the Conservatives trailing behind at 38 per cent, according to the poll.
Furthermore, 46 per cent of Canadians are satisfied by the Liberal government, a four percentage point increase since last month. Carney’s latest approval rating of 52 per cent also experienced a five-point jump since last month.
“People still want Carney to succeed,” said Enns. “They elected his government, and they’re still giving him the benefit of the doubt.”
Yet, Enns added that sentiments have shifted in conservative strongholds like Alberta and Saskatchewan, particularly after “Carney’s delivery of making Canada an energy superpower and cutting the carbon tax.”
“After the election, there was more goodwill for Carney in these provinces,” he said. “That hasn’t disappeared entirely, but some of these conservative regions are beginning to harden their views.”
Across the poll, respondents in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta gave Carney the lowest performance ratings.
While overall satisfaction and approval for the Liberals remain high, 64 per cent of respondents expressed frustration with Carney’s handling of a fractured trade relationship with the United States.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (71 per cent) also said they were disappointed with the government’s efforts to make housing, whether buying or renting, more affordable. Dissatisfaction was highest among those from British Columbia, home to Vancouver’s notoriously unaffordable housing market.
A further 52 per cent said they were disappointed with Carney’s progress to restore the strength and capacity of Canada’s military forces, the highest score received.
Given only 10 per cent said they’re pleased with how Carney’s government has delivered on campaign promises, Enns said the Liberals have their work cut out for them.
“The government may think they’ve made a lot of progress around the cabinet table, but it’s not translating into the public,” said Enns, who later added: “We’ll have to see what follows if the budget passes.”
“The Liberals can’t look at this and say ‘we’re on the right path,’ so they’ve definitely got some heavy lifting to do.”
The online poll of 1,585 Canadians was conducted between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, 2025. Online polls are not considered representative samples and thus don’t carry a margin of error. However, the survey document provides an estimated margin, for comparison purposes, of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
National Post
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