Manitoba

Greg Selinger still least popular premier but ranking has improved

Greg Selinger's approval rating has improved but the Manitoba premier still ranks last among his provincial counterparts.
Greg Selinger recently came out on top during a leadership challenge. (CBC)

Greg Selinger's approval rating has improved but the Manitoba premier still ranks last among his provincial counterparts, according to the latest Angus Reid poll.

Saskatchewan's Brad Wall remains the country's most popular premier, though he slipped a percentage point from December. (Angus Reid)
Having seen his job approval rating sink to an all-time low of 17 per cent in December 2014, the embattled leader — who recently held onto his job after a leadership challenge — now has a 22 per cent approval rating.

Political scientist Raymond Hebert said the relatively small jump in the polls is reflective of a public that hasn't significantly changed its mind on Selinger.

"Normally there would be a bump in support, but Greg Selinger's like an old shoe, right?" said Hebert. "I mean, he's been around for such a long time. I'm not sure there's a huge bump in his slim margin of victory."

The poll was conducted prior to the  leadership vote earlier this month.

It's still far below the 30 per cent rating in September 2014 and a high of 48 per cent in August 2012, when he was third among all premiers.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall continues to hold the top spot with the approval of two-thirds of respondents in his province (64 per cent). This is statistically unchanged from last quarter (65 per cent) but represents a four-point drop from September 2014 (68 per cent).

The Angus Reid online survey polled 6,278 Canadian adults in a random sampling between Feb. 26 and March 6. A sample of this size carries a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20.