Justin Trudeau faces grim poll showing a majority of Canadians want him to resign as prime minister - as his Conservative rival gains support

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces a winter of discontent, after new polling showed a majority of voters want him to step down.

The poll released this week by Ipsos shows that 72 percent of Canadians think Trudeau should step down and let his Liberal Party select a new leader for the next elections, which are not due until 2025.

If elections were held today, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, a 44-year-old upstart who became the opposition leader last year, would handily defeat Trudeau, the polls show.

Trudeau, 51, took power in 2015 as a popular and photogenic young PM, but has weathered a series of scandals and embarrassments, ranging from repeated ethics sanctions to blackface photos that emerged from his youth.

Now, his biggest challenge is a cost-of-living crisis, as Canadians grapple with higher prices for food, energy and basic necessities — an issue Poilievre has hammered as he makes the case for change.

Trudeau has repeatedly dismissed the idea that he step down as party leader, insisting he plans to lead the Liberals in the next election.

'The next elections are two years away,' he said in September, speaking in French. 

'I'm continuing to do my job. There's a lot of important work to do, to deliver for Canadians in these difficult moments. I remain enthusiastic and relentless with regards to this work,' he added.

But the new Ipsos poll showed that even within his Liberal Party, support for Trudeau is waning, with 33 percent of voters saying they want him to step down, up from 28 percent in September.

Other party leaders enjoy much stronger support within their parties, including Poilievre, who has the backing of 91 percent of Conservatives to lead the party in the next election.

As well, left-wing NDP leader Jagmeet Singh enjoys strong 78 percent support within his party.

When it comes to potential successors for Trudeau as party leader, Ipsos found that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has the most name recognition, and the greatest potential to improve Liberal fortunes at the ballot box.

Separate polling from the Angus Reid Institute found Trudeau's approval numbers in October matched record lows for his time as PM.

Just 31 percent of Canadians said they approve of Trudeau's performance, with 64 percent disapproving.

The same polling found Poilievre with an unfavorable share of 49 percent, and favorable rating of 37 percent, with 14 percent of voters undecided on the Tory leader.

For Trudeau, personal turmoil has come alongside political challenges, after he and his wife of 18 years, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, announced they were separating in August. 

The couple did not comment publicly on the reason for the split, though court documents have suggested that Sophie was 're-partnered' with an Ottawa doctor as early as April, according to the National Post.

If he chooses to resign before the next election, Trudeau would follow in the footsteps of his own father, Pierre Trudeau, who stepped down as prime minister in 1984 after taking a 'walk in the snow' to consider the matter. 

Poilievre meanwhile has emerged as an energetic opposition leader, focusing on the inflation issue and blaming Trudeau's signature carbon tax policy, which polls show is increasingly unpopular with voters.

Earlier this week, he traded barbs with Trudeau during question time in the House of Commons, saying all the Liberal leader had to offer Canadians for Christmas was a 'carbon tax lump of coal.'

'I'm pleased to point out that we're the Government that's phasing out coal!' fired back Trudeau.

'The climate denialism of the Conservative Party of Canada is putting future white Christmases at risk. And that's why on this side of the House, we stand for Christmas,' he added.

Undaunted, a smiling Poilievre responded, saying: 'Mr. Speaker, that has to be the angriest and most caustic Christmas message I've ever seen!'

The carbon tax, a standard price per metric ton of CO2-equivalent emissions generated, is intended to discourage use of fossil fuels and accelerate a switch to clean energy.

The tax is currently set at $65 CAD per metric ton, but is set to increase over time to encourage the switch to alternative to fossil fuels.

However, the ongoing cost of living crisis has contributed to an 11-point drop in support for carbon pricing compared to 2021 levels among Canadian voters, a recent poll showed. 

Poilievre has long wanted to axe the tax, arguing it is an unfair cost for consumers and making it a signature issue for the opposition.