Danielle Smith Approval Holds at 38 Percent as Majority of Albertans Disapprove

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s approval rating remains at 38 percent, according to the latest Angus Reid Institute survey, with a majority of Albertans saying they disapprove of her performance.

The September survey places Smith at 38 percent approval, unchanged from the previous quarter. Angus Reid Institute says the figure remains near the lowest level recorded for Smith since she became premier in 2022.

The poll found that 56 percent of Albertans disapprove of Smith’s performance, including 43 percent who strongly disapprove. The level of strong disapproval is the highest recorded among the provincial premiers measured in the survey.

Smith’s numbers come as the United Conservative government deals with political developments in Alberta ahead of planned referenda in October, including a question concerning the province’s future relationship with Canada.

The polling period also followed the Calgary Shaw byelection, where the Alberta NDP defeated the UCP in a constituency that had traditionally been considered a stronghold for the governing party.

Angus Reid said the Calgary Shaw result highlights the political challenges facing Smith and the UCP. The polling organization noted that the UCP received roughly half the support it had received in the riding during the 2023 provincial election, while the NDP retained about 70 percent of its previous support there.

The September survey shows that Smith’s approval remains well below the levels recorded earlier in her tenure.

Angus Reid data shows that Smith had approval ratings in the mid 40s through much of 2023, 2024 and 2025. Her approval reached 51 percent in June 2025 before falling to 46 percent in September and then 44 percent in December. It stood at 46 percent in March 2026 before declining to 39 percent in June and 38 percent in September.

The latest figures therefore show a substantial change from the beginning of 2026, when nearly half of Albertans approved of Smith’s performance.

The referendum issue has been one of the significant political developments surrounding the Alberta government this year. Earlier Angus Reid research found that 56 percent of Albertans said Smith had handled the separation issue poorly.

At the same time, the September survey does not measure support for the referendum itself. It specifically asks Albertans to assess the performance of their premier, meaning the approval figure should not be interpreted as a direct measure of support or opposition to any individual government policy.

Smith’s rating also places Alberta among provinces where premier approval is divided rather than showing majority support.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew recorded the highest approval level in the September survey at 63 percent. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe each recorded 48 percent.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt registered 41 percent, while British Columbia Premier David Eby reached 41 percent after gaining 10 percentage points from June.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette recorded 39 percent approval, placing her close to Smith. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston had 37 percent approval.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford recorded 31 percent approval after gaining 10 percentage points from his previous reading. Despite the increase, his approval remained below that of the other premiers included in the survey.

The Alberta results also show a pronounced gap between approval and disapproval of Smith. Among Albertans surveyed, 23 percent strongly approved of her performance and another 15 percent moderately approved. On the other side, 44 percent strongly disapproved and 13 percent moderately disapproved, while five percent were unsure.

The Calgary Shaw result adds another layer to the political environment facing the UCP.

The byelection followed the resignation of former UCP MLA Rebecca Schulz and produced a change in representation for the riding. The outcome attracted attention because Calgary Shaw had historically provided strong support to the UCP.

The Angus Reid analysis also noted that the UCP candidate had received an endorsement from a separatist who had previously sought the position of UCP board president as a pro independence candidate. The issue has become part of the wider debate within Alberta’s conservative political coalition over separatism and the province’s relationship with Ottawa.

Despite the political developments, the September poll indicates that Smith’s approval itself did not experience a statistically significant change from June. The movement from 39 percent to 38 percent is within the range of the survey’s margin of error.

The Angus Reid Institute conducted the survey online from September 8 to 15 among 4,310 Canadian adults. The Alberta portion included 403 respondents.

For Alberta, Angus Reid reports a margin of error of approximately plus or minus five percentage points for a probability sample of the same size, 19 times out of 20. The survey was weighted to reflect the Canadian population according to factors including age, gender, household income and education.

Polling results are measurements of public opinion at a particular moment and can change as political circumstances develop. The September findings therefore provide a snapshot of how Albertans viewed their premier during a period marked by the Calgary Shaw byelection, debate over separation and other political issues facing the province.

For Smith and the UCP, the figures show that more Albertans currently disapprove of the premier’s performance than approve of it. The poll also shows that her approval has remained below 40 percent for the second consecutive quarter.

With major political questions approaching in Alberta, the next round of polling will provide another indication of whether the current balance of approval and disapproval changes as voters respond to events and government decisions.

Courtesy: ctvnews