Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe has topped the list of Canada’s most favourable provincial leaders – successfully knocking Quebec premier François Legault down to second place –according to poll results released on March 25. Moe is the leader of the Saskatchewan Party.
The poll was conducted by DART Insight and Communications, a company that claims to specialize in public affairs research services, communications strategies, media training, event deployment and corporate services. The company statement claims it is not tied to any political organization.
The poll results show Moe’s approval rating has gone up alongside many other Canadian premiers, excluding Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Newfoundland and Labrador’s approval rating for premier Dwight Ball has not shown any change since the last quarterly analysis in December 2018.
The results of the approval poll, along with any changes since the last quarterly, are as follows:
- Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe 59% (+3)
- Quebec premier François Legault 56% (-5)
- British Columbia premier John Horgan 51% (+5)
- New Brunswick premier Blaine Higgs 48% (+5)
- Manitoba premier Brian Pallister 46% (+4)
- Alberta premier Rachel Notley 38% (+4)
- Ontario premier Doug Ford 34% (-1)
- Newfoundland and Labrador premier Dwight Ball 33% (No change)
- Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil 24% (-6)
Accurate approval ratings could not be provided for Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and both the Yukon and Northwest Territories because of the extremely small sample sizes.
“The survey was conducted among 5,450 randomly selected Canadian adults who are members of Maru/Blue’s Online panel between March 10-17, 2019,” the statement from DART officials said. “Respondents could opt in for either official language. The results have been weighted by education, age, gender, and region to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada.”
The precision of the poll is measured using a Bayesian Credibility Interval, which is believed to be accurate within +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
This is Moe’s highest personal rating since taking over from former leader Brad Wall in February 2018.
“Mr. Moe has had consistently high approval ratings since his first finding of 52 per cent exactly one year ago,” it states. “The premier has been steadfast in opposition to the Federal Carbon tax, travelled to Washington for trade talks, announced a number of funding initiatives (such as the Farm Water management plan) and has waded into federal politics.”
Regina resident Robert Irwin says this feat is well-deserved for Moe. Irwin grew up on a farm outside of Weyburn, and says the oil industry is what put food on the plate for many families in the area.
“He is the kind of politician that the people in Saskatchewan want,” Irwin said. “He’s pro-resources, and against the carbon tax.”
When reached for comment, representatives from the office of the Saskatchewan Party offered a written statement, which focused less on the celebratory aspect of the current quarterly poll and focused more on the future. The statement reads as follows:
“While it’s encouraging to see this support shown by Saskatchewan people, the poll we are most focused on is the one that takes place in October 2020. Premier Scott Moe and our team will keep standing up for Saskatchewan families and work hard to earn every vote in the lead-up to the next election.”
The next provincial election is set to be held on October 26, 2020.
The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, which serves as the current official opposition, did not respond to a request for comment.
