The 55 per cent dissatisfaction level voters expressed with Premier Shawn Graham's Liberal government in a poll released this week is the highest level the polling company has ever recorded in New Brunswick, officials say.

The 24 per cent who said they were "completely dissatisfied" is also a record in more than 20 years of tracking by Corporate Research Associates Inc., said associate Christina Waddy.

'Leadership is much more than a political popularity contest.'—Premier Shawn Graham

But Graham said he is unmoved by the poor review and will not back down over the controversial NB Power deal, which the Halifax-based polling company has suggested is likely behind the numbers.

"Leadership is much more than a political popularity contest," Graham said in the legislature Tuesday, when confronted by the Opposition Conservatives with the latest poll results.

"Members of this government are proud to stand up for New Brunswickers and for the best interests of the province," he said. Graham and his government have seen their popularity slide significantly, since unveiling a plan five months ago to sell the majority of the provincially-owned electric utility's assets to Hydro-Québec.

In February 2009, one in three voters expressed open support for the Liberal party to CRA pollsters. But that number plummeted to just one in five in the latest survey, conducted last month.

Graham has also suddenly become the least popular premier in Atlantic Canada, with only 25 per cent of those polled listing him as their preferred choice for premier, compared to 45 per cent last year, the poll shows.

Meanwhile Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is enjoying the most support of the Atlantic premiers at 81 per cent.

McKenna and Lord government numbers lower

The last time the CRA recorded disapproval ratings even close to Graham's numbers in New Brunswick was during the Frank McKenna era in May 1997, the month following the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax, said Waddy.

About 50 per cent of those polled said they were dissatisfied with the government, she said.

The next closest was a 47 per cent disapproval rating, earned by the teetering government of Bernard Lord in August 2005.

Both of those governments were subsequently defeated in the next provincial election.

Still, Graham insists he is not concerned, banking on public hearings to be held in April on the complex power deal.

"The people of the province will have the opportunity to tune in to over 50 hours of public hearings on this very important issue," he said.

But House leader Greg Byrne has said the public consultations won't lead to any changes to the agreement, expected to be signed by May 21.

Under the deal, Hydro-Québec would acquire most of the province's power-generation assets, but New Brunswick would maintain control of transmission and distribution.

New Brunswick's residential ratepayers will get a five-year rate freeze. Medium-sized industries will see a roughly 15 per cent cut in power rates and will have those rates locked in for five years while large industrial customers will see their power prices fall by roughly 23 per cent.

After five years, rates will increase with inflation and be regulated by the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board.

The CRA sampled 804 New Brunswickers between Feb. 1 and Feb. 25. The margin of error for the entire poll is 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.