At least three-in-four want Canada to enhance trade with other partners around the world.
Vancouver, BC [February 3, 2025] – Many Canadians are willing to modify their consumer habits after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the implementation of a 25% tariff on Imports from Canada (and 10% on Canadian Energy), a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, more than three-in-five Canadians (63%) say they will avoid purchasing goods originated from the United States, if a non-American alternative is available.
Just over two-in-five Canadians (41%) plan to avoid American restaurant franchises in Canada, while 31% would avoid American entertainment options and 26% intend to cancel a planned trip to the United States.
More than four-in-five Canadians (87%) have followed news related to the tariffs “very closely” or “moderately closely”.
More than half of Canadians (54%) approve of the performance of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to deal with the tariffs implemented by the United States, while 47% feel the same way about Official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre.
Just over three-in-five Canadians (61%) are satisfied with the way their provincial premier has managed the issue of tariffs, while 43% are content with the performance of their provincial opposition leader on this file.
In Canada’s four most populous provinces, the actions of the premier find a higher rating in British Columbia (67%), followed by Ontario (64%), Quebec (58%) and Alberta (54%). Among provincial opposition leaders, the results are best in Ontario (47%), followed by Alberta (44%), Quebec (also 44%) and British Columbia (37%).
Practically half of Canadians (49%) believe a Conservative federal government would be better positioned at this point to deal with the tariffs implemented by the United States—a proportion that rises to 61% among those aged 18-to-34 and to 51% among those aged 35-to-54.
Residents of Alberta (59%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (55%) are more likely to say that the Conservatives would be better at managing the trade dispute than their counterparts in Ontario (50%), Atlantic Canada (48%), Quebec (46%) and British Columbia (42%).
Canadians are divided over what will transpire in the next six months, with 41% expecting the recently implemented tariffs on Canadian products to be rescinded by the American government, and 34% foreseeing their expansion.
When asked about specific options for Canada, at least three-in-four Canadians are in favour of enhancing trade with Australia and New Zealand (78%), the European Union (EU) (77%), Japan (75%) and Mexico (also 75%).
Almost two thirds of Canadians (64%) would consider requesting an independent dispute settlement panel under the terms of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). This idea is backed by majorities of Canadians who voted for the Liberal Party (74%), the New Democratic Party (NDP) (67%) and the Conservative Party (62%) in the 2021 federal election.
Only 22% of Canadians would consider initiating a formal process for Canada to become an American state, while 71% reject this notion.
“More than a third of Canadians aged 18-to-34 (35%) are open to discussing the eventual addition of Canada into the United States,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportions are lower among those aged 35-to-54 (25%) and those aged 55 and over (8%).”
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted on February 2, 2025, among 1,002 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty, in each country.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca