ACCORDING to the latest data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, half of Canadians (49%) say it’s time to switch governing parties in Ottawa, led almost entirely by past Conservative voters (88% say this), and at least one-in-three past NDP (39%), Green (35%), and Bloc Quebecois (40%) voters, respectively. Notably, more than one-in-seven (17%) of those who supported the Liberals in 2019 say the same. About a third of the country (35%) disagrees.

 With COVID-19 vaccinations now underway, the notion of a spring election is overwhelmingly unpopular. As Canadians focus on an end to pandemic life, summer is also considered too soon by 63 per cent. A fall call is palatable to most, however, as two-thirds say an election between September and December would be appropriate.

 Whenever an election is called, the priority for the Conservative Party will be figuring out how to endear their leader Erin O’Toole to a broader subsection of the population. Just 29 per cent of Canadians have a favourable view of O’Toole, while positive perceptions of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh hover in the mid 40’s.

More Key Findings:
* Current vote intention finds the Liberal Party holding a four-point advantage over the CPC (35% to 31%), while the NDP is chosen by 19 per cent.
* Trudeau has an approval rating of 45 per cent, unchanged from February.
* Erin O’Toole’s favourability with 2019 Conservative voters is 64 per cent. Comparatively, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh holds a favourability of 85 per cent and Justin Trudeau has an approval rating of 81 per cent among their party’s 2019 voters.
* The Liberal Party has a 15-point vote intention advantage in the Greater Toronto Area and Metro Vancouver. In Greater Montreal, 47 per cent would vote for the Liberals and just 10 per cent for the CPC.