Doug Ford, Danielle Smith and David Eby hit personal lows in new premier poll

Premiers of three of Canada's most prominent provinces see their approval ratings hit personal lows, according to new Angus Reid poll

Published Jun 11, 2026  •  Last updated 7 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and BC Premier David Eby Postmedia file photos

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OTTAWA — It’s been a bad few weeks to be a big-deal premier in Canada, as three of the nation’s heavy political hitters watch their political fortunes tank.

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Approval ratings for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have fallen to personal lows, according to an Angus Reid poll released Thursday.

“Smith’s approval drops to an all-time low at 39% after weeks of controversy over her government’s plan to hold an October referendum related to Alberta’s place in Canada,” read an excerpt from the poll.

“West of the Rockies, Eby drops to 31% as his government faces ongoing pressure over DRIPA (B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act,), property-rights concerns, health care and affordability after nearly nine years of NDP government in B.C.”

Here in Ontario, the poll showed Ford’s approval rating falling to just 21%, the lowest-recorded level in the eight years the Ontario PC Party leader has been premier.

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Premiers’ approval ratings tumble to new lows. Photo by Toronto Sun graphic /Angus Reid Institute

All three premiers show cycles of approval, disapproval

According to the poll, Ford’s 21% approval rating is the lowest of any provincial premier — a 10 percentage point change since polling performed last quarter.

Eby’s 31% ranks second-worst, representing a six percentage point drop, with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston — in office since 2021 — ranking third from the bottom with 34%, a five point drop from the previous quarter, and Alberta’s Smith, who dropped seven percentage points to 39%.

While New Brunswick’s Susan Holt’s 41% was good enough to rank fourth among her peers, she saw the biggest drop in approval rating, falling 13% from the previous quarter.

Among the only two premiers who’ve seen their approval ratings increase over the past four months is Newfoundland’s Tony Wakeham, climbing eight percentage points to 50% — tying for second place with Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, who saw his approval rating fall one per cent.

And Manitoba’s Wab Kinew, who gained a per cent to hit 62% approval, remains Canada’s favourite premier.

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Danielle Smith’s approval rating has largely hovered in the high-40s since becoming premier in 2022, peaking last June at 51%.

While David Eby has enjoyed similar approval ratings — peaking last March with 53% — support for BC’s embattled premier soon began a precipitous dive, passing 40% in December and bottoming out at 31% with this most recent poll.

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In Ontario’s Ford’s approval rating shows numerous peaks and valleys since he became Premier — reaching a personal high 69% during the COVID-19 pandemic and two more peaks in June 2022 (45%) and March 2025 (48%) but now seeing lows under his previous all-time low of 28% in Sept. 23.

“His government has continued to frame its agenda around protecting Ontario from U.S. tariffs, but that message has competed with a budget that is projecting years of deficits, as well as persistent affordability and health-care challenges,” read an excerpt from the poll.

“Most damaging may have been the brief purchase of a $28.9-million government jet, which Ford announced was being sold back to Bombardier after significant backlash.”

The poll was conducted between May 7 and 11, 2026 from a randomized sample of 1,803 Canadian adults via the Angus Reid Forum.

As margins-of-error cannot be applied to online panels, an equivalent sample size would normally yield a margin-of-error of ±2.0%, 19 times out of 20.

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