Trudeau takes a big hit in polls amid WE Charity scandal

The Liberal Party COVID-driven love affair with voters may have come to an end, as the WE Charity scandal appears to have taken some of the wind out from underneath the Trudeau government's wings.

According to a number of polls released in recent days, the Liberals still hold a convincing lead over the Conservative Party, despite the Tory's best attempts to steal the incumbent party's thunder. While the WE Charity scandal has clearly had a negative effect on the Liberal Party's polling, it doesn't appear to have helped the official opposition much, if at all.

According to Leger, the Liberals lead the Conservatives by 11 points, at 39 percent. Months ago, while the Liberals were rolling out their COVID response plan, the party polled comfortably in the mid-40's.

Despite the dip in popularity, Canadians as a whole are generally satisfied with the pandemic's handling, as 74 percent of respondents remain satisfied with the federal government, and 79 percent satisfied with provincial governments.

Innovative Research found a similar trend, noting: “Though approval of the government’s handling of COVID-19 has remained stable, general satisfaction with the federal government has been declining since May.”

A notable finding from Abacus Data saw that 31 percent of those who voted for the Liberals in the 2019 federal election "say the WE Charity controversy was about trying to reward friends and supporters," a potentially damning stat that shows Canadians may be fed up with casual corruption in the party they voted for.

Additionally, a poll from EKOS Research Associates shows the Liberals dropping from 41 percent in June to 35 percent in July. “While the WE Charity scandal clearly hurt the Liberals, there is no evidence that it has helped the second-place Conservatives, who haven’t budged in the polls since the election," EKOS found.