Thirty-seven per cent of respondents told Nanos Research that People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernie should resign.CHRIS HELGREN/Reuters
Maxime Bernier and Justin Trudeau were the two most common answers in a poll that asked respondents which of Canada’s federal party leaders they would like to see resign as a result of the outcome of this year’s election.
Thirty-seven per cent of respondents told Nanos Research that Mr. Bernier, the leader of the far-right People’s Party of Canada, should resign. Prime Minister Trudeau, who leads the Liberal Party, was the second-most-frequent choice, at 36 per cent.
Respondents were 28 per cent in favour of Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole’s resignation, while 15 per cent named NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and 10 per cent picked Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet. (Respondents were allowed to choose more than one leader.)
A quarter of respondents said none of the party leaders should resign.
“I think what that suggests is that one out of every four Canadians are happy with what’s on the political menu,” Nik Nanos, the founder and chief data scientist of Nanos Research, said in an interview. “Seven out of every 10 Canadians would like to see the political menu change, in one respect or another.”
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Nanos Research conducted the poll, which was commissioned by The Globe and Mail, through a hybrid telephone and online random omnibus survey of 1,017 Canadians who were 18 years old or older. The research took place between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3. The sample included both land and cellphone lines across Canada. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
To date, none of the party leaders have indicated that they are considering resignation, despite election results that pleased none of their supporters. The Liberals won 160 seats, delivering them another minority government, and the other parties also failed to make substantial gains.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who leads the Liberals, was the Nanos Research poll's second-most-frequent choice, at 36 per cent.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Following the election, Mr. Trudeau said it was his intention to continue to deliver to Canadians on an “ambitious mandate.”
Mr. O’Toole, whose Conservatives won 119 seats, met with his caucus on Tuesday. He told reporters he was confident that MPs have his back as he looks to continue on in his role. The party is embarking on what it calls a “360 review” of where it excelled and where it failed in the election campaign. The process will be led by former Edmonton MP James Cumming, who supported one of Mr. O’Toole’s rivals, Peter MacKay, in last year’s Conservative leadership race.
Mr. Singh’s NDP won 25 seats, and it has likewise committed to a review of its campaign performance, which will be conducted by veteran political strategist Bob Dewar. During a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Singh said he is very proud of the campaign his party ran. But he also said that he wished more New Democrats had been elected.
Mr. Bernier has also said that he plans to stay on as party leader, despite the fact that the People’s Party failed to win any seats in the election, including the one he ran for himself, in the Quebec riding of Beauce. While speaking to supporters at a hotel in Saskatoon on election night, Mr. Bernier said that he was happy to see his party grow and that preparations were already under way for the next election.
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Kristy Kirkup