New poll numbers from EKOS show a Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair’s approval rating is tied with that of the prime minister.

The random Interactive Voice Response poll targeted 5,947 Canadians between February 1 and 10, and shows that Mulcair and Prime Minister Stephen Harper share a 28 per cent approval rating.

There is a marked difference, however, in their disapproval rating as well as how many Canadians chose to voice no opinion at all about the two leaders.

The EKOS survey revealed 47 per cent of Canadians disapprove of Harper, while only 25 per cent disapprove of Mulcair. However, those numbers were reversed when it came to how many Canadians chose to not register any opinion at all. Forty-eight per cent said they had no opinion of Mulcair, versus 25 per cent who expressed neither approval nor disapproval of the prime minister.

Frank Graves, president of EKOS, said the numbers should be taken “with a bit of a grain of salt.”

“They’re useful but they often tend to be the tail wagging the dog,” he said. “Who do Canadians approve of? None of the above… none of those are particularly good approval ratings.”

[start_gallery]Click to enlarge [end_gallery]In that assessment, Graves included the approval numbers EKOS found for Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, which sit at 33 per cent. Just 24 per cent of Canadians disapprove of Trudeau, and 43 per cent had no opinion.

However, that popularity could be a function of the fact that to this point, Trudeau hasn’t actually done anything but campaign on themes.

And as much as Mulcair’s numbers aren’t bad, he has two problems, Graves said.

“One, as his recognition levels are going up, his approval numbers are coming down,” he said. “It’s not dramatic, it’s not something that looks fatal or uncorrectable at this stage, but you’d rather it was going the other way round.”

Second, is Trudeau, should he eventually win the leadership of the Liberal Party this spring.

“Even though he’s the leader of the Official Opposition and Justin Trudeau’s just a sitting MP… the recognition levels for Justin Trudeau are actually higher, rising much more rapidly,” he said. “And, unlike Mr. Mulcair who is experiencing a mild erosion of approval, Justin Trudeau’s actually getting more positive approval as people become more familiar with him.”

Still, much remains in play. Though Trudeau is the Liberal leadership race’s clear front runner, he hasn’t yet won any more than any other candidate has lost.

As for the prime minister, despite his large disapproval ratings, he remains in relatively good position.

“From a political perspective, what you want is approval. You don’t really care if the other guys don’t like you, because that’s more just vanity points – being somewhat less objectionable to someone who’s not going to vote for you is not the issue,” Graves said.

“It’s quite clear now, seven years now into [Harper’s] mandate, that this is possibly one of the first administrations in Canada that can operate successfully with majority disapproval,” Graves said, noting the Conservative Party’s dedicated group of loyal supporters. “My basic sense of Prime Minister Harper is he’s kind of in a pretty stable position.”

The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 1.3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.