Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Reuters: Canada's golden boy Trudeau sinks in polls as scandal takes toll
OTTAWA (Reuters) - When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in late 2015, he was a political golden boy who seemed destined to build on the legend of his father, who led the country for more than 15 years.
But six months ahead of an October election, polls suggest the 47-year-old politician with the broad smile and a penchant for colorful socks could become the first prime minister to lose power after a single majority mandate since the 1930s.
Trudeau is mired in a relentless scandal over alleged interference in a corporate corruption case that has led to the resignations of two Cabinet members, his top advisor and the head of the federal civil service.
The ruling Liberals have lost 6 percentage points since the start of the year, ceding the lead to the rival Conservatives, according to a Nanos Research poll published on Tuesday.
If an election were held now, the Conservatives would win 34.9 percent of the vote, the Liberals 32.8 percent and the left-leaning New Democratic Party 16.6 percent. The poll suggests the result would be deadlock or a fragile minority government.
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WNU Editor: I live in Canada and I follow these things very closely. The polling company that is quoted above has IMHO always given results that favour the Liberals. I think the spread is a few points more. This does not mean that Prime Minister Trudeau is going to lose in the next election. The election is still 6 months away, and anything can happen. But being accused of interfering in a criminal case to help a company with ties to his political party, and the expulsion of two key cabinet ministers because they have lost confidence in his leadership, has hurt him. But what my really hurt him is the economy. It is starting to slow down, and that may in the end be his biggest Achilles Heel.
