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Kenney's approval rating dramatically low, poll shows

Last Updated Oct 13, 2021 at 9:50 am MDT

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney listens as the 2021 budget is delivered in Edmonton Alta, on Thursday February 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

CALGARY – Albertans’ view of Premier Jason Kenney is continuing to trend downward, according to a new poll.

The latest from the Angus Reid Institute shows Kenney’s approval rating has tumbled, with only 22 per cent of people giving the leader a passing grade.

He is currently the least approved-of premier among his own constituents across the country, the pollster says.

“Conversations about Kenney’s long-term political future have been ongoing for some time, and with this wave of data, are unlikely to abate,” the Angus Reid Institute says.

A graph showing the progression of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's approval rating since June 2019
A graph showing the progression of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s approval rating since June 2019. (Courtesy The Angus Reid Institute)

The decline in Kenney’s approval rating comes as the province is hard-hit by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pollster points out it also comes after the premier characterized the pandemic as being “over” in the summer.

While cases have been trending somewhat in the right direction, concerns remain for hospital capacity and the health care system in Alberta. Recently, many in the sector had warned the health care system was on the brink of collapse due to high infection rates and ICU admissions.


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The Angus Reid Institute notes Kenney’s current approval rate marks a new low point in his two years as premier. In June of this year, it was 31 per cent. That’s compared to a rating of 61 per cent in June of 2019.

The decline in ratings was seen across the board, with all premiers in Canada, save for one, losing support among their constituents.

Ontario’s Doug Ford saw his approval rating rise by a “statistically insignificant” one point, the institute says.