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Poll: Trudeau Disapproval Rate Remains Above 50%

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to have a voter disapproval rate above 50 percent and his Liberal Party is polling barely ahead of the opposition Conservatives, according to a new poll.

The next federal election is one year away.

Trudeau had a disapproval rate of 52 percent and the governing Liberals received just 36 percent support in a new Ipsos poll released Sunday by Global News.

The Conservatives stood at 35 percent while the quasi-socialist New Democratic Party is in third place at 20 percent. The poll also indicates that Conservative leader Andrew Scheer remains an unknown commodity with 40 percent of Canadians not recognizing his name.

Trudeau’s unpopularity was only lower after his now infamous week-long excursion to India, where he indulged in frequent photo-ops, tried local dances and announced a bogus trade deal. The media response in Canada was uniformly unfavorable. (RELATED: Trudeau Deals With Fallout From Disastrous India Trip)

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls Liberal party volunteers to thank them for their help during last year's election at the Liberal party office in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo - RC1E4525E670

FILE PHOTO: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls Liberal party volunteers to thank them for their help during last year’s election at the Liberal party office in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo

Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker said the Liberals should not assume Trudeau’s name and image can guarantee them another election victory in 2019.

“Looking at the numbers right now, it’s going to be a pretty competitive election,” Bricker told Global News. “That [Scheer] is basically tied with someone who’s a rock star in Canadian politics has to be concerning for the Liberal Party.”

A protester holds a sign during Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the site of the mass shooting at Alexander the Great Parkette on Danforth Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

Trudeau, the son of another controversial Canadian prime minister, enjoys a high national and international profile, but is a polarizing political figure. His critics point to his lack of a legislative record in three years of government, with legalized marijuana being his most prominent accomplishment. (RELATED: Trump Official Called Trudeau That Little Punk Kid Running Canada)

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