Canadians Unsure Which Political Leader Is Best For The Economy: Poll - InvestingChannel

Canadians Unsure Which Political Leader Is Best For The Economy: Poll

Canadians remain divided over which federal leader they think would be the best steward of the economy.

Four months before an election, Canadians are unsure whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or his chief rival, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, would be best to manage the national economy.

In a poll by Nanos Research Group, 30% of Canadians picked Trudeau while 29% chose Scheer. About a quarter of respondents didn’t trust any of the leaders or were unsure, with the rest choosing leaders of smaller federal political parties.

The results show that neither Trudeau or Scheer have been able to claim the economy as theirs, which is important as economic stewardship is often a key driver of voters in Canada. That suggests the race remains wide open for the October vote that will decide if Trudeau wins a second mandate. It also indicates that both Trudeau and Scheer have yet to win over the business community in Canada.

A poll maintained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) shows the prime minister’s Liberal party with 30% support nationally, trailing the Conservative Party under Scheer at 34%. This week’s survey on economic management showed trust in both leaders rising over the past month, keeping their statistical tie intact. Trudeau’s score jumped five percentage points from similar polling at the end of April, while Scheer recorded a three-percentage point gain.

Trudeau was ahead in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, and the two leaders were statistically tied in Ontario and British Columbia. Scheer had a wide lead in the energy-rich Prairies, where he has tried to cast himself as a champion of the oil sector. He led Trudeau there 38% to 21%, the survey found.

Nationally, there is a wide gender gap between the two leaders. Scheer is ahead of Trudeau by a margin of about 10 percentage points among men, while Trudeau has a similar lead among women. The Nanos poll is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.