Mark Carney has a 23-point advantage over Pierre Poilievre when Canadians ponder who would make the best prime minister.
Vancouver, BC [August 10, 2026] – The governing Liberal Party is enjoying its largest lead in Canada since the April 2025 federal election, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 47% of decided voters across Canada would support the Liberal candidate in their constituency in a federal election, up one point since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in May.
The Conservative Party remains in second place with 27% (-4), followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 10% (-1), the Bloc Québécois with 6% (-1), the Green Party with 5% (+2), the People’s Party with 4% (+3) and other parties and independent candidates with 1% (=).
“More than half of female decided voters in Canada (51%) are supporting the Liberal Party,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The governing party is also ahead among male decided voters (43%).”
The Liberals lead the Conservatives among Generation Z (36% to 28%) and Millennials (37% to 30%). The advantage for the governing party is larger among Generation X (50% to 29%) and Baby Boomers (63% to 16%).
More than two-in-five decided voters in British Columbia (45%), Ontario (46%), Quebec (49%) and Atlantic Canada (56%) would cast a ballot for Liberal candidates. The Conservatives have a six-point lead in Alberta (42% to 36%).
Almost three-in-five Canadians (59%, +3) approve of the way Prime Minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney is managing his duties. The approval rating is lower for Conservative and Official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre (38%, =), Green leader Elizabeth May (37%, +5), NDP leader Avi Lewis (32%, +1), Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet (28%, +3) and People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier (22%, +2).
On the “Preferred Prime Minister” question, Carney holds a 23-point lead over Poilievre (45% to 22%), with the remaining federal party leaders in single digits.
The economy and jobs remains the most important issue facing the country for Canadians (25%, +3), followed by housing, homelessness and poverty (23%, +3), health care (14%, -1), Canada-U.S. Relations (12%, -4) and immigration (9%, +1).
As was the case in May, Canadians pick Carney over Poilievre to manage 11 different issues.
At least two-in-five Canadians prefer the current prime minister over the leader of the Official Opposition to handle foreign affairs (51% to 23%), Canada-U.S. Relations (50% to 23%), national unity (48% to 24%), accountability and leadership (47% to 25%), the economy and jobs (46% to 27%), health care (44% to 25%), energy and pipelines (43% to 27%), the environment (41% to 22%), immigration (40% to 29%), and housing, homelessness and poverty (40% to 26%).
The race is closer—albeit with Carney still ahead of Poilievre—oncrime and public safety (37% to 30%).
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from August 5 to August 7, 2026, among 1,001 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca