More trouble in the polls for Justin Trudeau, Liberals

The polling numbers for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continue to look worse, and some experts think he may soon hit a point where he has to seriously consider his future.

The latest Abacus Data survey has his Liberal Party trailing the Conservatives by 12 points, with 56 per cent of respondents saying it’s time for the prime minister to step down.

“You don’t want to be the guy that turned the whole thing into a failure,” Barry McLoughlin, president of TLC Transformational Leadership Consultants Inc., said.

“The polling may indicate that, ‘I just can’t hold us. I hate to bring the entire party and government down with me.'”

Lately, the “Justin Trudeau” brand has become a bit of a liability for the Liberals and McLoughlin says if the prime minister can’t stage a dramatic turnaround, he may have to think seriously about whether to stay on or not.

“He is not any longer leading any support for the Liberal Party, he is dragging behind it,” McLoughlin said.

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He tells CityNews the low support for Trudeau and his party is due to a combination of factors, from scandals to voter restlessness after eight years.

He adds for fortunes to change for the prime minister, it needs to start this fall.

“What’s the message track he needs to get on? What does he need to really be doing to reconnect with the voters?” McLoughlin asked, noting Trudeau will have his work cut out for him.

“I think housing and the economy have to be number one on his agenda.”

Greg MacEachern, founder and principal at Kan Strategies, says he’s spoken with senior Liberals who acknowledge they have to do more on issues like the aforementioned. However, he notes that could be challenging when dealing with provinces and cities.

“Things don’t move as quickly as some or most would like,” said MacEachern, who is also a former Liberal staffer.

Latest polling likely ‘a message to the government’

The prime minister has said he wants to lead his party into the next election, and both experts say he’s a good campaigner who thrives when faced with a challenge.

MacEachern sees the latest polling as more of “a warning shot or a message to the government” than a desire for immediate change.

“He is an incredible campaigner, he has high energy, he seems to thrive on it,” he said of the prime minister.

“He is a fighter and doesn’t give up easily,” added McLoughlin.

Thanks to the confidence agreement with the NDP, the next federal election could still be two years away.

The supply and confidence agreement was reached between the two parties in 2022. The deal is seeing the NDP prop up the minority Liberal government on confidence votes until the next federal vote.

The next federal election is set to take place “on or before October 20, 2025.”