Politics·PODCAST

The Pollcast: Can Kathleen Wynne stage a comeback in 2018?

In a little more than nine months, Ontario will go to the polls — and it is setting up to be a tough fight for Premier Kathleen Wynne. Pollcast Éric Grenier is joined by the Toronto Star's Robert Benzie to break down Ontario's political scene.

Host Éric Grenier is joined by Robert Benzie, Queen's Park bureau chief for the Toronto Star

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is trailing in the polls, little more than nine months ahead of the province's next election. (The Canadian Press/Jason Franson)

The CBC Pollcast, hosted by CBC poll analyst Éric Grenier, explores the world of electoral politics, political polls and the trends they reveal.


The Ontario Liberals were first brought to power in 2003 under Dalton McGuinty, making them the longest sitting provincial government in the country.

Are their days numbered?

McGuinty's Liberals were re-elected in 2007 and 2011, and then again under Kathleen Wynne in 2014. But public opinion has turned against the Ontario Liberals, putting them behind Patrick Brown's Progressive Conservatives and awarding Wynne the worst approval ratings among Canada's premiers.

But that doesn't mean the PCs are a lock to win the province's next election, scheduled for June 7, 2018. The Liberals were also on the ropes before winning the 2011 and 2014 campaigns.

Can the Liberals pull off another comeback next year? Will the Tories break their streak of blowing their leads once the campaign has started? And can Andrea Horwath's New Democrats take advantage of the Liberals' unpopularity to make a breakthrough of their own?

To lay out Ontario's political landscape, Pollcast host Éric Grenier is joined by Robert Benzie, Queen's Park bureau chief for the Toronto Star.

Listen to the full discussion above — or subscribe to the CBC Pollcast and listen to past episodes.

Follow Éric Grenier and Robert Benzie on Twitter.