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National Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Canadians feel unwelcome in the U.S. as mistrust remains high: new poll
Now that Canada's trade war with America has surged back into public consciousness like a blast from the recent past, a new poll suggests Canadian frustration with and mistrust of the U.S. remains high, despite a slight easing. Article content In March, for example, polling showed a dramatic realignment of Canadian attitudes toward its southern neighbour. Europe and Britain were suddenly the countries Canadians felt best about, and Canadians were starting to feel about America the way they felt about Russia. Article content Article content But lately, with U.S. President Donald Trump's attention mostly elsewhere, there are signs of a slight bump back from this low point, despite troubling news developments like the death of a Canadian citizen in U.S. immigration custody. Article content Article content More than half of Canadians now say they 'no longer feel welcome in the United States,' for example, and this sentiment is strongest among women and older people. Article content During the recent Canadian election campaign with its looming threat of crippling tariffs and annexation, there was a 'worrisome intersection' in the Canadian mind of the American government and the American people, according to Jack Jedwab, president of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies (ACS). But in this latest poll, he sees a 'healthy development' of Canadian anger and frustration being focused primarily on the American government, and less so the American people. Article content Back in April, barely one Canadian in five (21 per cent) said they trust Americans in a similar poll. But in the latest poll, that figure has rebounded to 34 per cent, which is historically normal, about the same as it was near the end of Trump's first term, but still considerably lower than the 59 per cent it reached in October 2023, Jedwab said. Article content Article content Asked if they trust the United States, the country as opposed to the American people, those numbers drop substantially. A majority of 53 per cent said the country could not be trusted, and only 21 per cent said it could. That distrust is greater among Canadians older than 65. It is also stronger among residents of British Columbia, and lowest among Albertans and Atlantic Canadians. Article content Article content The poll was taken by Leger for the ACS between June 20 and 22, so it does not reflect Canadian reaction to Donald Trump's latest cancellation of trade talks last weekend, which prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to rescind a digital industries tax, which targeted American tech firms, in order to restart negotiations. Article content 'We just don't trust the motivation behind the re-opening of trade,' Jedwab said. 'We're persuaded we're the kindler, gentler nation, and we're being bullied by their president.'
National Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Canada's youngest adults more likely to trust Iran and its current regime: poll
As tensions returned to a simmer between Israel and Iran amidst a ceasefire agreement, a new poll conducted before the shaky armistice found that far more Canadians are distrustful of Iran than those who have faith in the Islamic Republic. Article content But data from a Leger Marketing poll for the Association for Canadian Studies poll showed that younger generations are more apt to trust Iran and think it wouldn't be good for the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to collapse and be replaced by new leadership. Article content Article content The polling also attempted to gauge whether respondents 'think that Iran wants the destruction of the State of Israel,' with 71 per cent believing that to be the goal, and even 59 per cent of the 18-24 cohort. Article content Article content Jack Jedwab, the Association's president and CEO, said that despite the younger generations' different perceptions of the conflict, it points to Canadian public opinion being closely aligned with that of the U.S. and NATO. Article content 'That's not speaking to what actions the U.S. has taken in the past four or five days. I'm just talking strictly in terms of the perception of Iran and Iran's position in these global conflicts.' Article content Carney, who'd previously reaffirmed that Canada respected Israel's right to defend itself against Iran as hostilities began in mid-June, said after U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend that Canada also stands against Iran developing a nuclear weapon and called for a diplomatic resolution to the unrest in the broader Middle East. Article content Article content Article content Overall, ACS found that only 12 per cent of all respondents see Iran as trustworthy, compared to 52 per cent who felt it wasn't. Trust was highest among the 18-24 group (34 per cent) and decreasingly lower across each age group, culminating with a mere 4 per cent of those over 65. Article content Article content 'There seems to be some very important differences in the world vision or the way in which the younger cohorts have a different view of the nature of these conflicts and how they position the protagonist,' said Jedwab, noting that data extrapolated from the employment status showed students (27 per cent) were also more apt to trust in Iran than any other age group.
National Post
06-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
As separatist talk simmers in Alberta and Quebec, Canadians say breaking up will be hard to do: poll
Against a backdrop of fresh talk of Alberta separation and the constant spectre of Quebec's sovereignty movement, a new national opinion poll found that most Canadians say breaking up will be hard to do. Article content A large majority of respondents nationally said any secession by one province would require negotiation with all provinces and must be supported by a clear majority of voters in the province, and most said separation cannot be a unilateral decision, and it should require approval by the federal House of Commons. Article content Article content Article content A national opinion survey, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies and provided to Postmedia, was designed to probe Canadians attitudes about the process for separation, rather than their views on separation itself, and what should follow a successful provincial leave referendum. Article content Article content 'The bottom line is that Canadians across the country envision the process as much more complex than a simple majority vote on a referendum question,' said Jack Jedwab, president of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies. Article content Public discussion about Alberta separating from Canada drew more mainstream attention in May, after the federal election returned the Liberal Party to government and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled provincial legislation to make it easier for Albertans to trigger a referendum on the province leaving the rest of Canada. Smith said she would hold such a referendum if a citizen petition called for it. Article content Article content Separatists in Quebec hope the renewed discourse on separation will boost their long-standing desire for independent statehood, which twice went to provincial referendum which failed to support sovereignty, in 1980 and 1995. The Parti Québécois plans another provincial sovereignty referendum in the years ahead. Article content That creates plenty of secessionist talk and debate, but it has been 30 years since Canada has seen an actual separation referendum. Article content 'Many Canadians of voting age and, of course, most immigrants didn't experience the last referendum 30 years ago, but there is a growing consensus that the rest of the country would want a say in the process and secession would not be simple,' said Jedwab. Article content The poll asked 1,537 people across Canada a series of questions on the mechanism of a possible separation. Article content Article content A majority of Canadians said any referendum question regarding provincial separation from Canada must be unambiguous, with 59 per cent of respondents agreeing with that, with only 11 per cent disagreeing, and 30 per cent saying they don't know or declined to answer.
National Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Surging Canadian pride in face of Trump's insults sags after Canada's federal election, poll finds
A surge in Canadian pride when Canada's sovereignty and dignity were under assault from U.S. President Donald Trump has slumped back to normal levels after the federal election, according to a public opinion poll. Article content Last year — in May and again in November — 80 per cent of Canadians said they were proud to be Canadian in opinion polls, but patriotism surged this spring, climbing to 86 per cent in early March, during the lead-up to April's federal election call. Article content Article content Article content In the month following the election of Mark Carney and the Liberal Party to a minority government, however, Canadian patriotic fervour has slipped back to its pre-election level, according to a new poll. Article content Article content The national opinion survey, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies and provided to Postmedia, also reveals significant regional differences in expressing Canadian patriotism. Article content 'The boost in pride in being Canadian arising from the U.S. threat of annexation appears to have worn off, and the level of pride has returned to its pre-campaign levels,' said Jack Jedwab, president of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies. 'The most important swings in pride were in Quebec and Alberta, where election spikes in pride have returned to lower levels post-election, and that is especially the case in Alberta,' he said. Article content Atlantic Canada displayed the most patriotism in the past, with 93 per cent of respondents saying they were proud to be Canadian a year ago. That was the highest level in the country at any time in the last year of polling. Article content With the approach of a federal election — called after the resignation of unpopular prime minister Justin Trudeau — patriotic support in the Atlantic provinces dipped to 91 per cent. In the new poll, it deflated even further, down to 83 per cent. Article content Article content British Columbia expressed the least Canadian patriotism a year ago, with 71 per cent saying they were proud to be Canadian, but that level shot up before the election, reaching 90 per cent in early March. For poll respondents in B.C., patriotism had staying power after the election. Article content Ontario was the only other region that retained a higher level of patriotism now than last year. In May 2024, 80 per cent in Ontario said they were proud to be Canadian. That rose to a high of 87 per cent this March and has settled in the recent poll at 83 per cent.
National Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Despite a polarizing election, Canadians don't want a two-party system, poll suggests
While the recent federal election turned into a tight race between the Liberals and Conservatives that left other parties trailing far behind, a new poll suggests most Canadians don't want the country end up with a two-party system. Article content Article content The poll of over 1,600 Canadians, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies between May 1 and 3, suggests only 21 per cent of Canadians think the country would be better off with a system where two parties dominate the political landscape. Article content Forty-nine per cent say a two-party system would not be good for Canada, while 30 per cent say they don't know. Article content Article content The poll, which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error, suggests that people in Ontario and Alberta are the most open to a two-party system, with 23 per cent of people in those provinces saying it would be a good thing. Article content Twenty-two per cent of people in British Columbia and 20 per cent of respondents in Quebec say they think Canada would be better off under such a system. Article content At 30 per cent, Conservative respondents were the most likely to think Canada would be better off with a two-party system, compared to 17 per cent of Liberals and 14 per cent of NDP supporters. Article content Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, said the election focused on two parties — the Liberals and the Conservatives — which received over 80 per cent of the vote. Article content 'Now that the … dust is settled on the election, it seems that Canadians are comfortable with not having a system that is as polarized politically as the one that this election seemed to give rise to,' Jedwab said. Article content Article content 'Canadians are still, in terms of our political culture, different from the United States in terms of being more welcoming, or more receptive is a better word, to multiple options in their electoral system.' Article content Article content While recounts in some ridings are still underway, the Liberals inched another seat closer to a majority government on Saturday when a judicial recount declared their candidate the winner in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne by a margin of just one vote. Article content It brought the Liberals to 170 seats in the House of Commons, two shy of the 172 needed for a majority government. The Conservatives hold 143 seats, the Bloc has 22 and the NDP has seven. Article content Alberta respondents are the most likely to want another election soon, at 50 per cent, compared to 39 per cent of people in B.C., 38 per cent of Ontarians and 33 per cent of Quebecers.
