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
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.