First to worst: Poll shows Quebec premier reaching new approval low

Quebec Premier François Legault at an election event in Victoriaville on August 11, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

Once the most popular premier in the country, François Legault is now considered the most undesirable, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.

In the top place now is Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who, at 61 per cent, still sees a seven per cent decline compared to the institute’s last poll.

As for Quebec’s premier, the data, released on Tuesday, show that one in five (22 per cent) of Quebecers currently approve of Legault, a decline of three per cent.

Plus, 72 per cent say they do not support him.

“This marks the lowest approval of Legault since he first took office in 2018, and a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a leader who secured back-to-back majorities in 2018 and 2022,” the institute notes. “He now stares down 'disastrous defeat.'"

The poll points to the failed digital shift at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), also known as the SAAQclic fiasco, leading to a $500 million cost overrun, as one of the main reasons for disapproval.

Other examples, according to the institute, include Legault “throwing a policy ‘Hail Mary’ to save his government by proposing a bill to ban prayer in public spaces,” and the unsuccessful Northvolt project, a multi-million-dollar deal to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Quebec that fell through when the company declared insolvency.

“Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party has suffered, too, as the premier’s popularity has tumbled,” the poll adds. “The party’s vote share in Arthabaska fell from 52 per cent in the 2022 general election to seven per cent in an August byelection.”

The sharp decline comes about a year before the next provincial election, slated for Oct. 5, 2026.

The second-to-lowest ranking premier in public approval is Ontario’s Doug Ford, with 41 per cent (up three per cent).

The online survey was conducted from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5, 2025, among a randomized sample of 4,045 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.

Due to its small population, data on Prince Edward Island is not included.