70% of Canadians Dislike Doug Ford; His Worst Poll Performance Ever!

Premier Ford’s PR team has found itself unprepared amidst the “hotel gate” scandal that erupted last week, revealing how his party members have been living extravagantly at taxpayers’ expense.

The controversy started with a single minister from Ford’s cabinet, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming, Stan Cho. It came to light that he had charged the province nearly $16,000 for extended hotel stays in Toronto while the legislature was in session. The Problem: Stan Cho lives in Willowdale, in Toronto, just 6 kilometers from his office at Queen’s Park. Why did he need to stay in a hotel? Stan didn’t provide an answer, and it might have been better for Doug Ford if he had stayed silent as well. Honesty is often elusive for politicians, and Ford is no exception. When confronted with his minister’s actions, Ford pretended to be shocked and bellowed, “This is not acceptable,” promising that Cho would repay every cent to the province.

However, just a couple of days later, it was revealed that three more members of Ford’s party from the Peel region—Nina Tangri, Hardeep Grewal, and Charmaine Williams—had billed Ontario taxpayers over $50,000 in hotel stays over two years. Their justification was that they were authorized to use public funds under “special circumstances” such as weather emergencies. This argument was dismantled based on an audit, which showed that all hotel stays were billed during clear weather in the spring and fall sittings. In fact, GTA Liberals and NDP members were able to commute from their homes without any issues on those very days.

But things were about to get more inconvenient for Ford. Emails between him and his colleagues soon surfaced, indicating that he had advised his party members to use the “special circumstances” clause to book hotel stays. Rather than deny culpability or explain, Ford took the silent route, perhaps in the hope that public memory was short and the storm would blow over soon. He was wrong.  

The people of Ontario were waiting for their chance to express their discontent, and recent polling reflects that sentiment.

On July 24, 2026, a new poll of 1,000 adult Ontarians conducted by Liaison Strategies revealed that the Liberals now have the support of 38% of decided and leaning voters, followed by the Tories at 33%, the NDP at 24%, and the Greens at 2%.

The Liberal lead increased slightly from a June 2026 survey by Liaison Strategies, which showed them holding a three-point advantage that was still within the margin of error for the sample.

Ford’s approval rating also dropped two points since June, plummeting to just 24% in the latest survey. Approximately 72% of respondents expressed disapproval of Ford’s performance, while the remaining 4% offered no opinion.

“This is the lowest approval and the highest disapproval we have recorded for Ford in this Ontario tracker,” said David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies, in a statement accompanying the poll results. “Those numbers are significant amid an expense scandal, and that impacts political outcomes. While this particular poll did not directly address hotel expenses, when an incumbent premier is already at a 24% approval rating, stories about MPPs billing taxpayers for Toronto hotel rooms only reinforce a negative perception.”

This latest survey indicates a shift from an Abacus Data poll conducted in June 2026, which showed the PCs with a nine-point lead over the Liberals among committed voters.

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