TRADE war with the U.S. has caused not only federal political upheaval, but provincial turmoil as well. That is perhaps most evident in the Angus Reid Institute’s quarterly premier approval ratings, which show a significant turn of fortune for many of the country’s first ministers.

New data illustrates some of the country’s premiers have received a “Trump bump” in approval. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, sitting in the low 30s for nearly two years, is now approved of by half (48%) in his province after a star-turn during trade negotiations with the U.S. that has some dubbing him “Captain Canada”.

In the midst of criticism of a new bill to give his BC NDP government emergency powers to respond to U.S. tariffs, Premier David Eby also sees approval of his performance rise by seven points, to 53 per cent.

On his way out the door, and on the heels of a historic renegotiation of the Churchill Falls power agreement with Quebec, approval of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey rises 22 points to make him the most approved-of premier in the country (68%).

In this sea change of opinion, perhaps what is most notable are the premiers whose approval rating is statistically unchanged from December. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has also taken a lead role in U.S.-Canada relations during this trade war, sees approval (46%) that is unchanged from two years ago.

In Quebec, approval of Premier François Legault is statistically unchanged from three months ago at 38 per cent. In both cases, domestic scandal – another one in health care for Smith, and one over the cost overruns of the online platform for the province’s auto insurance corporation for Legault – may be weighing down any positive lift from their responses to Trump.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/