Despite a rocky week from David Emerson's party switch to join his cabinet, new Canadian PM Stephen Harper has jumped out to a good start with Canadians in the first weeks of his government. His approval ratings have risen well above the percentage of votes collected by the Tories and has crossed over into a majority:

The Conservatives were elected on January 23rd with the support of 36% of Canadian voters. Now, less than three weeks later, a majority (54%) of Canadians say they approve of the new government’s performance so far under the leadership of Stephen Harper. This includes two-in-ten (18%) Canadians who “strongly” approve and 36% who “somewhat” approve. One-in-three (32%) Canadians disapprove of the performance of the Conservative government so far (14% “strongly”, 18% “somewhat”).

The approval does not limit itself to the Tory powe base of Alberta, either. All regions of Canada show a significant spike upwards in approval, notably Quebec (61%), Sasketchewan/Manitoba (57%), and even Ontario (49% approval against 37% disapproval). Even in British Columbia, where two-thirds believe that Emerson should face a new by-election after turning Tory to join Harper's government, the new PM gets a 45% approval rating. Harper wins majorities in all age classes and from both genders as well.

He has a mandate for moving forward. In fact, he may have the most well-supported federal government in recent Canadian history. It will be fascinating to see what Harper can accomplish with it, and how the Canadians react. Stay tuned.

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