Canada's Least, Most Popular Premiers Ranked By Angus Reid | HuffPost

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His Days As Canada's Most Popular Premier May Be Numbered

The Huffington Post Canada

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It appears Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall's days as Canada's most popular provincial leader could be numbered.

According to Angus Reid Global's latest quarterly survey on the job approval ratings of premiers, Nova Scotia's Stephen McNeil is giving Wall some real competition for the first time in years.

Wall still tops the list with an approval rating of 67 per cent, virtually unchanged from the last poll in March. But McNeil boasts a rating of 66 per cent, up seven points since earlier this spring and good enough for a statistical tie with the wildly popular Prairie leader.

No provincial leader has bested Wall since November 2010, when then-Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams was still in office.

Interim N.L. Premier Tom Marshall sits in a tie for third overall with new Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. Marshall has a job approval rating of 59 per cent — up 10 points since March.

With numbers like those, some on The Rock may be wondering why Marshall isn't going after the leadership of Newfoundland and Labrador's governing Progressive Conservatives full-time.

Frank Coleman, who was supposed to be acclaimed party leader at a convention on July 5, abruptly quit politics on Monday.

Story continues after slideshow:

Least, Most Popular Premiers (June, 2014)

(01 of38)

Source: Angus Reid online survey, June, 2014NOTE: Prince Edward Island was not polled. (credit:Shutterstock)

9. Greg Selinger, Manitoba (NDP)(02 of38)

Approve: 26%Disapprove: 66%Unsure: 8% (credit:CP)

8. David Alward, New Brunswick (PC)(03 of38)

Approve: 29%Disapprove: 59%Unsure: 12% (credit:CP)

7. Kathleen Wynne, Ontario (Liberal)(04 of38)

Approve: 33%Disapprove: 59%Unsure: 7% (credit:CP)

6. Christy Clark, British Columbia (Liberal)(05 of38)

Approve: 37%Disapprove: 56%Unsure: 7% (credit:CP)

5. Dave Hancock, Alberta (PC) (Interim)(06 of38)

Approve: 39%Disapprove: 38%Unsure: 23% (credit:CP)

4. Philippe Couillard, Quebec (Liberal)(07 of38)

Approve: 59%Disapprove: 35%Unsure: 7% (credit:CP)

3. Tom Marshall, Newfoundland and Labrador (PC) (Interim)(08 of38)

Approve: 59%Disapprove: 28%Unsure: 13% (credit:CP)

2. Stephen McNeil , Nova Scotia (Liberal)(09 of38)

Approve: 66% Disapprove: 23%Unsure: 11% (credit:CP)

1. Brad Wall, Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Party)(10 of38)

Approve: 67%Disapprove: 28%Unsure: 5% (credit:CP)

Rob Ford(11 of38)

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he has had his fair share of marijuana."Oh, yeah. I've smoked a lot of it." (credit:CP)

Justin Trudeau(12 of38)

The federal Liberal leader opened up to HuffPost about his experience with marijuana in August."Sometimes, I guess, I have gotten a buzz, but other times no. I’m not really crazy about it.” (credit:CP)

Tom Mulcair(13 of38)

The Opposition leader's office told HuffPost this summer that Mulcair has smoked in the past but not since he was elected to office. Mulcair was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in 1994. (credit:CP)

Marc Garneau(14 of38)

The Liberal MP and Canada's first astronaut said he tried marijuana as a student in the 1970s in England. "It's not my thing. I stopped because it wasn't doing anything for me." (credit:CP)

Kathleen Wynne(15 of38)

The premier of Ontario said she smoked pot decades ago."I have smoked marijuana but not for the last 35 years." (credit:CP)

Darrell Dexter(16 of38)

Said the former premier of Nova Scotia: "Like every other person I knew back in the '70s when I went to university, some of whom are actually in this room, I would have tried it, the same as other people at that time." (credit:CP)

Christy Clark(17 of38)

Said the premier of British Columbia:"I graduated from Burnaby South Senior Secondary in 1983 and there was a lot of that going on when I was in high school and I didn't avoid it all together." (credit:CP)

Tim Hudak(18 of38)

The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario admitted he's puffed in the past."I was a normal kid, I had a normal upbringing, a normal life in university. I experimented from time to time with marijuana. It’s a long time ago in the past and in the grand scheme of things." (credit:CP)

Paul Martin(19 of38)

The former prime minister of Canada told CTV News:"The answer is: I never smoked. I never smoked anything, but there was an earlier time, years ago, when (my wife) made some brownies and they did have a strange taste." (credit:CP)

Kim Campbell(20 of38)

The former prime minister admitted while running for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives that she tried weed."And I inhaled the smoke." (credit:CP)

Dalton McGuinty(21 of38)

The former premier of Ontario said he experimented in his teens, but only twice. (credit:CP)

Brad Wall(22 of38)

The premier of Saskatchewan said he was an "infrequent" user back in university."It didn't really do anything for me, luckily, because for some, it does lead to other things." (credit:CP)

(23 of38)

List from Angus Reid Global. View the full results here. (credit:Shutterstock)

Mike Duffy(24 of38)

Admire: 4%Don't admire: 70%Don't know this person: 22%

Conrad Black(25 of38)

Admire: 5%Don't admire: 69%Don't know this person: 18% (credit:AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

John Furlong(26 of38)

Admire: 6%Don't admire: 23%Don't know this person: 63% (credit:(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images))

Pamela Wallin(27 of38)

Admire: 7%Don't admire: 59%Don't know this person: 25% (credit:CP)

Belinda Stronach(28 of38)

Admire: 11%Don't admire: 45%Don't know this person: 29% (credit:GNM/CP)

Tom Mulcair(29 of38)

Admire: 20%Don't admire: 40%Don't know this person: 23% (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

Stephen Lewis(30 of38)

Admire: 20%Don't admire: 21%Don't know this person: 51% (credit:JORGE UZON/AFP/Getty Images)

Elizabeth May(31 of38)

Admire: 22%Don't admire: 34%Don't know this person: 29% (credit:CP)

Stephen Harper(32 of38)

Admire: 23%Don't admire: 63%Don't know this person: 1% (credit:GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)

Don Cherry(33 of38)

Admire: 27%Don't admire: 52%Don't know this person: 8% (credit:Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Justin Trudeau(34 of38)

Admire: 34%Don't admire: 45%Don't know this person: 4% (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

Margaret Atwood(35 of38)

Admire: 34%Don't admire: 23%Don't know this person: 28% (credit:JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Peter Mansbridge(36 of38)

Admire: 48%Don't admire: 16%Don't know this person: 22% (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

Rick Hansen(37 of38)

Admire: 50%Don't admire: 13%Don't know this person: 28% (credit:ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

David Suzuki(38 of38)

Admire: 57%Don't admire: 23%Don't know this person: 7% (credit:CP)

Interim Alberta Premier Dave Hancock, who replaced Alison Redford in March, sits at 39 per cent. Redford's last rating earlier this spring was 23 per cent, making her the most unpopular provincial leader in the country.

That dubious title now belongs to Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, who is stuck with a dismal rating of 26 per cent, down two points from March.

New Brunswick Premier David Alward, who is headed for a provincial election in September, sits at 29 per cent.

Interestingly, Kathleen Wynne was fighting in the Ontario election at the time the poll was conducted. Though she received an approval rating of just 33 per cent, Wynne was rewarded with a majority government on June 12.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark sits at 37 per cent, virtually unchanged since March.

The survey was conducted online among 6,318 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists between June 3 and 12. The margin of error is +/- 1.2%, 19 times out of 20.

Shachi Kurl of Angus Reid Global explained to The Huffington Post Canada in April that the approval rating of Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz isn't measured because the sample size for that province is too small.

What do you think of these results? Are you happy with your provincial leader? Tell us in the comments.

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