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The Canadian Press: Wab Kinew sees work still to do despite year-long honeymoon with voters

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 20:54:16 +0000

A political analyst says there’s no immediate sign of the NDP honeymoon ending, partly because Kinew has followed through on some high-profile election promises, including temporarily suspending the provincial fuel tax in January. The tax is slated to be brought back in on Jan. 1, 2025.

“Kinew has been putting through his election promises of last summer and fall,” said Dr. Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

Kinew has also succeeded in reaching out to people affected by tragedy, including the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and has come across as empathetic and charismatic, Adams said.

To read more on this story, please visit The Globe and Mail.

Winnipeg Free Press: Kinew’s popularity continues to rise: poll

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:42:47 +0000

University of Manitoba political studies Prof. Christopher Adams agreed, saying most people aren’t affected by the rent top-up pause and the Wasyliw issue will likely be forgotten by the time the next poll is taken three months from now.

Adams noted while NDP support has steadily increased in seat-rich Winnipeg, from 52 per cent in the election to the current 61 per cent, Tory support in the capital city is at 29 per cent — the same it has been during the last six months.

To read more, please visit the Winnipeg Free Press.

The Canadian Press: Manitoba premier polling high after nine months, but experts say challenges lie ahead

Fiona Odlum — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 20:23:21 +0000

“The government has been working to fulfil commitments it made during the election, (but) I would say affordability is something that in many ways is beyond the control of the provincial government,” said Christopher Adams, adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

Recent opinion polls suggest NDP support has grown since the party took 34 of the 57 legislature seats in the Oct. 3 election.

To read the full Canadian Press story, please visit Global News Winnipeg.

CBC Manitoba: Kinew’s political honeymoon continues with approval rating climbing higher, poll suggests

Fiona Odlum — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 13:30:36 +0000

Manitoban’s approval of Wab Kinew’s leadership has gone up, securing his spot as Canada’s most popular premier, a new poll suggests, but a political analyst says his popularity will be put to the test come budget day.

In a poll from Angus Reid Institute, 63 per cent of respondents said they approve of Kinew. That’s up six per cent from a 2023 survey that also placed him as the most popular premier in the country.

“I am surprised that it’s gone up by six points, that it’s not just as high up as it was last time, but even higher,” said Chris Adams, a political analyst and adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

Canadian Press: High expectations, tight budget pose a challenge for Manitoba’s new premier

Fiona Odlum — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 15:26:25 +0000

By all accounts, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is still in a honeymoon phase, almost three months after leading his New Democrats to an election win that ousted the former Progressive Conservative government.

Recent opinion polls suggest he is riding high, including an Angus-Reid survey earlier this month that suggested his approval rating is tops among Canada’s premiers.

But political analysts say the real test lies ahead, as Kinew tries to fulfil promises to boost health care, improve education and give raises to public-sector workers while dealing with the province’s chronic deficits.

Read here