Commonwealth_ British Columbia Premier David Eby is the second-least popular provincial premier in Canada, tied as of the most recent approval ratings, the Angus Reid Institute reports. Eby stands at 41 percent, having dropped five points since June and 12 points since March, the latest survey indicates. This dip is in a cyclical trend of decreasing popularity, placing him alongside Quebec Premier François Legault, the lowest in Canada at 22 percent approval.
Political leaders typically experience declines in popularity year over year, but the gap between Eby’s current polling figures and historic highs is striking. Canadian premiers experienced what was described as a fleeting rise in popularity earlier this year. This surge was in part due to heightened national awareness of tensions with the United States regarding trade tariffs and even the suggestion of annexation. These world controversies briefly diverted public attention from foreign matters, allowing premiers to take on the role of protectors of Canadian interests.
But no sooner had the U.S. tensions dropped out of the headlines than affairs at home had taken center stage once more on the public agenda. In British Columbia, concerns about the cost of living have become a collective focus. Across most of the province, residents identify affordability as the number-one concern, as inflation continues to chip away at family budgets. Health care as a second top concern comes in closely, with nearly half of respondents identifying it as a high concern, and housing affordability remaining of concern to more than a third of British Columbians.
Negative economic indicators have also plagued the province. British Columbia lost jobs for the second consecutive two months at a rate of over 15,000 per month. These developments made the trend susceptible to public outcry, particularly because this occurs at a time when an increasing provincial debt burden looms over its head. Economic troubles that were manageable when the world quarreled most have proved difficult to face once such external difficulties recede from public consciousness. They now look to the provincial government for assistance with concerns that appear real and intimate, such as inflation, jobs, and debt.
Labor disputes have also been part of the equation. Walkouts and disputes in several industries highlighted areas of negotiation breakdowns and discontent with government reaction. They are part of the overall mood that the province cannot find balance between competing priorities, and most British Columbians are dissatisfied with leadership.
Eby’s policies have also been contentious to various segments of society. His own recent statements concerning limiting the levels of immigration have polarized some citizens, who are worried about the social and economic implications of such a move. His government’s bills to accelerate resource proposals for development, even where Indigenous groups had protested, have also come under criticism from Indigenous rights warriors and ecologists. These actions also appear to have eroded confidence in those with differing political opinions, contributing to the general decline in approval levels.
When combined, these factors present a complex challenge to Eby’s leadership. These same issues have long-standing causes in the social and economic settings of British Columbia, contrary to the temporary display of national unity in support of U.S. trade complaints. Housing affordability, the cost of living, and the stress on health care are issues that require longer-term solutions and are unlikely to disappear from public debate anytime soon.
The erosion of support highlights the challenge of governing in a setting where groups have widely divergent priorities. The government has been attacked by some for not doing enough to keep costs in line and generate jobs, while others attack its management of Indigenous peoples, natural resources, or immigration. All of these economic pressures, policy disagreements, and social cleavages all have all contributed to create the context for expressions of grievance to emerge simultaneously from various different sources.
As Eby rides this tide of troubles on and on, the opinion polls are cautioning that his leadership will be increasingly in danger. With his popularity at an all-time low and only one other Canadian premier less popular, the next few months will determine if his government can be revamped or if the slide continues.
