REGINA — The latest Angus Reid survey of provincial politics has given the governing Saskatchewan Party reason for optimism.
According to the poll, conducted March 11-17 among 325 Saskatchewan residents, Premier Scott Moe continues to have majority approval and remains one of the more popular premiers in the country.
Moe’s approval rating of 51 per cent trails only Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt.
That compares with 33 per cent favourability for Opposition Leader Carla Beck, who also has an unfavourability rating of 57 per cent.
There were other positive results for the government in the poll. The government scored ahead of the national average on its relationship with the federal government, with 57 per cent saying it did a good job, and 47 per cent approving of its approach to tariffs.
Angus Reid also reported that 45 per cent said the province is still on the right track — tied with Manitoba for the highest in the country — while 38 per cent said it is on the wrong track.
Less positive news for government on major issues
The findings were less positive for the government on key issues. Cost of living was cited as one of the top three concerns by 65 per cent of respondents, while 61 per cent pointed to health care.
The government also scored lower on those issues, with only 33 per cent saying it is doing a good job on cost of living and inflation, and just 25 per cent on health care.
The survey also reported that 44 per cent of respondents in Saskatchewan say they are worse off now than they were last year, which is eight points above the national average.
Parties react
The numbers pointing to continued support for Moe and the government prompted the Saskatchewan Party to respond on social media, arguing the poll showed the NDP message was not resonating.
“A new poll shows Saskatchewan people are rejecting the NDP’s politics of anger, hate and division,” the party stated.
“57 per cent of SK people now disapprove of NDP Leader Carla Beck. That’s the highest disapproval rate of any province’s opposition leader. Maybe running down Saskatchewan and saying you should hate people you disagree with isn’t such a great strategy.”
In another post, the party stated that with a disapproval of 57 per cent, “Carla Beck now has Dwain Lingenfelter-level disapproval numbers,” referencing Angus Reid data from December 2010.
At a news conference Thursday, NDP Energy Critic Sally Housser dismissed the Saskatchewan Party’s reaction.
“You know, I guess they take what they can get in terms of things they have to talk about,” said Housser.
“They're certainly not out there selling their own bad news budget… and if you can't stand behind a budget that you just introduced a few weeks ago, you grasp out whatever straws you can.”
Housser said what was seen from the Saskatchewan Party “is a level of fear.” She said the government sees an NDP that is not only holding it to account in the legislature, but also putting forward proposals such as its Grid and Growth plan and health-care consultations.
“We have a number of private members' bills that we've already introduced and we will continue to introduce coming to session, on affordability, on power, on jobs, economy, and on health. And we're going to continue to do that — not only hold this government to account, but to put forward our vision for Saskatchewan.”
