The federal Liberals are facing mounting pressure as dissatisfaction with the prime minister’s leadership spreads.
Support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sharply declined in Montreal, one of his party’s last political strongholds, marking a dramatic shift in a city long considered a Liberal bastion, according to new polling.
As public dissatisfaction grows, even Trudeau’s once-secure base — home to his House of Commons seat — now appears vulnerable.
Trudeau’s “unpopularity, along with broader discontent with the Liberal party, has eroded support even in areas that previously seemed unassailable,” the Angus Reid Institute reported on Tuesday.
The polling firm said its surveys indicate that support for the Liberals has fallen by 22 percentage points since early 2022.
In January of that year, 51 per cent of voters in Greater Montreal supported the Liberals. By mid-September, that figure had fallen to just 29 per cent.
“The Bloc Québécois have largely been the beneficiary of this Liberal decline, though support for the Conservatives has also risen from 10 per cent at the beginning of 2022 to 17 per cent now,” Angus Reid said.
Liberal support was also found to be crumbling in Toronto and Vancouver.
“Perhaps at issue for urban voters is the lack of progress by the federal Liberals on key issues such as housing affordability and public safety,” Angus Reid said.
“Canadians living in urban areas (33 per cent) are much more concerned about the cost of housing than those living outside of them (22 per cent).”
In Montreal, the Bloc’s growing strength and rising dissatisfaction with Trudeau were evident last week in a byelection in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, once a Liberal fortress.
Trudeau represents the east-end Montreal riding of Papineau.
The federal Conservatives have significant momentum across Canada, with polls indicating they would win a majority government if an election were held today. That surge has intensified calls for Trudeau to resign after nine years as prime minister.
Over the last two elections, the Liberals and Bloc House of Commons seat count in Quebec has remained unchanged: 35 Liberal, 32 Bloc.
Until recently, the political landscape in Quebec still appeared relatively stable, thanks in part to strong Liberal support among anglophones and allophones in Montreal.
However, Angus Reid findings indicate that’s changing.
In Montreal, the Conservatives are heavily focusing on Mount Royal riding, aiming to unseat Liberal MP Anthony Housefather in the predominantly anglophone area.
The Bloc Québécois may be benefiting from the strong voter support for its provincial counterpart, the Parti Québécois.