A new poll finds Manitoba's premier is the second least popular one in Canada, leading some political experts to conclude the party might be better off without him.

An Angus Reid Global poll released Wednesday found Premier Greg Selinger had an approval rating of 28%, beating only Newfoundland and Labrador's Kathy Dunderdale (24%).

The survey found 62% of respondents disapproved of Selinger and 10% weren't sure how they felt about him.

In an era of leader-oriented politics, that means the NDP may need to consider replacing Selinger before the next election, said Allen Mills, a University of Winnipeg political scientist.

"If I were in the NDP, I would be very concerned with going with Selinger as leader," said Mills. "He won the (2011) election in some ways brazenly lying about what he was going to do."

The premier denied Tory accusations he would raise the provincial sales tax during that campaign only to raise the levy from 7% to 8% without a previously required referendum in 2013.

Selinger's declining popularity since the contentious tax hike indicates the opposition has succeeded in keeping the issue fresh in the minds of voters, said Shannon Sampert, a U of W political science teacher.

Selinger scored a 26% approval rating in September 2013 and 31% last June in earlier versions of the Angus Reid poll before vowing to run for re-election last fall.

But Sampert said it's likely some NDP members are already looking for alternative leaders.

"It makes sense that the knives are potentially coming out for the leadership," said Sampert.

Both Sampert and Mills stressed, however, that a 2014 poll may not be an accurate prediction of who voters will support in the next election, which is expected in 2016. That's because plenty of opposition party blunders or government changes could happen in the meantime.

Premier Greg Selinger was not available for comment Wednesday.

In an e-mailed statement, Selinger's press secretary Matt Williamson stressed raising the PST will pay off in the long run.

"This poll could be seen as a reflection of the difficult decisions premiers across the county have had to make to deal with the fiscal challenges of global economic uncertainty," the statement said. "Our government is listening to Manitobans who want to see investments in strategic infrastructure like roads and flood protection, without cutting from services families count on the most."

Saskatchewan's Brad Wall scored the highest approval rating on the survey at 66%. The poll's margin of error is +/- 1.2%, 19 times out of 20.

HOW THEY RATE

Approval ratings of Canadian premiers:

Brad Wall (Sask) 67%

Stephen McNeil (NS) 57%

Christy Clark (BC) 42%

Kathleen Wynne (Ont.) 35%

Pauline Marois (PQ) 32%

Alison Redford (Alta.) 31%

David Alward (NB) 31%

Greg Selinger (Man.) 28%

Kathy Dunderdale (NL) 24%

NOTE: Sample size too small for PEI Premier Robert Ghiz

— Source: Angus Reid Global