Survey Finds Majority of Canadians Unable to Identify Federal Ministers

July 15, 2024 TruthUSA

Less than half of Canadians are able to recognize key members of the federal cabinet, according to a new Abacus poll.

The survey of nearly 2,000 people found Canadians were most likely to recognize Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, with 39 percent accurately identifying her.

Meanwhile, just 20 percent recognized Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, 19 percent recognized Treasury Board President Anita Anand, 4 percent recognized Housing Minister Sean Fraser, and 4 percent recognized Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc.

Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, who has said he hasn’t ruled out running for leadership of the Liberal Party, was identified by 7 percent of Canadians polled.

“These results clearly indicated that none of these people are well-known, household names,” said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto. “The vast majority of Canadians cannot literally pick them out of a lineup.”

Among current supporters of the Liberal government, recognition of the cabinet members was similar. The same number recognized Ms. Freeland—39 percent—while a slightly higher percentage identified Ms. Joly (26 percent), Ms. Anand (14 percent), Mr. Carney (10 percent), Mr. Fraser (8 percent), and Mr. Leblanc (7 percent).

When it came to the leaders of the various federal parties, the survey found that 98 percent could recognize a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while 84 percent recognized NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, 66 percent recognized Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, 47 percent recognized Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and 20 percent recognized Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.

Mr. Coletto called the results a “stark reminder” that much of Canadian politics “can be in a bubble” and an indication of “how little familiarity” Canadians have with politicians who are not party leaders. He also noted that even among Liberal supporters, many had failed to identify possible contenders if Mr. Trudeau were to step down as prime minister.

Mr. Trudeau also said last week he has “full confidence” in Ms. Freeland when questioned by reporters on rumours of tensions between her and his office, based on a Globe and Mail report that alleged discussions have been underway about possibly recruiting Mr. Carney for the role of finance minister.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters on July 11 that he had been talking with Mr. Carney “for years” about getting him to join federal politics, and that he would be an “outstanding addition at a time when Canadians need good people to step up in politics.”

Mr. Coletto said the survey results indicate that a cabinet shuffle would not change “a single thing for the Liberals in terms of public opinion,” given that “most Canadians have no idea who is in cabinet, what someone in cabinet does, and why a different cabinet might lead to different policies or outcomes.”

The pollster said many Canadians are unable to separate how they feel about the Liberals from how they feel about Mr. Trudeau himself. He noted that 78 percent of Canadians with a positive view of the federal government also have a positive view of the prime minister, while the opposite is true for 91 percent of Canadians.

Mr. Trudeau performed a sweeping cabinet shuffle in July 2023, promoting seven new ministers and stripping seven MPs of their ministerial roles, while making nearly two dozen other changes to his cabinet. Mr. Trudeau said the shuffle was an attempt to put together the “strongest possible team“ to continue showing Canadians the ambitious vision for the future that we’re so committed to.

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