Alberta NDP continues to lead UCP in voter support: Angus Reid poll
The Alberta NDP led by Rachel Notley continues to lead the ruling UCP led by Premier Jason Kenney in popularity among voters, according to polling data released Thursday by Angus Reid.
The poll suggests roughly two-in-five Albertans, or 42 per cent, would vote for the NDP compared to roughly three-in-10, or 31 per cent for the UCP.
The Wildrose Independence Party has 16 per cent support, followed by the Alberta Party at eight per cent and the Liberals at one per cent.
The NDP have led the UCP in terms of voter intention since March 2021, according to the Angus Reid poll done every three months, and the gap has remained somewhat steady since June 2021.
The next provincial election is scheduled for 2023.
"It's not so much to me a matter of when (the UCP) has to turn things around, it's how they can possibly do that?" said Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams.
A number of issues have hampered UCP efforts to increase support.
"Traditionally … for this kind of thing, you'd need to have a big misstep or scandal or problem for the NDP," said Williams. "The (UCP) are where they are because of scandals, mismanagement of the pandemic and so forth."
The most recent scandal involves former justice minister Kaycee Madu and the revelation he phoned Edmonton's police chief after receiving a distracted driving ticket while in a school zone last year.
Madu who is Black, has said he made the call because he wanted to make sure he wasn't being improperly surveilled or racially profiled.
Kenney has asked Madu to "step back" as justice minister while an independent investigation unfolds and Energy Minister Sonya Savage has taken over his ministerial duties in the interim.
"This is the third minister gone for cause in just over a year," said Williams, noting MLA Devin Dreeshen resigned as minister of forestry and agriculture in November 2021 following allegations of drinking at work and MLA Tracy Allard also resigned as minister of municipal affairs after it was revealed she flew to Hawaii during the 2020 Christmas break, despite public health recommendations against non-essential travel.
"There's a much bigger set of questions around trustworthiness, around integrity and around competence," she said.
"I said this at the beginning of 2021 when Jason Kenney was going to earn back trust, that's a hard thing to do and he's done nothing but generate further doubt about whether he can be trusted, both to be honest or to be a person of integrity and be accountable. He just keep stepping in it, he just keep mismanaging."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.