More than one in four Canadians see the United States as an “enemy” country, according to a new poll by Canadian pollster Leger.
Why It Matters
Canada and the United States have historically been close allies but the relationship between the two countries has soured in recent months after President Donald Trump threatened to impose steep tariffs on Canada. Trump has also repeatedly pushed the idea that Canada should become a U.S. state, which polls show a large majority of Canadians oppose.
The new poll reflects the deepening political and ideological divisions between the two countries.
What To Know
According to the Leger poll conducted between February 14 and 17, 27 percent of Canadians now consider the U.S. an enemy, while 30 percent still see it as an ally. Another 27 percent view it as neutral. The poll surveyed 1,500 Canadians and 1,000 Americans. It was not assigned a margin of error as it was conducted online.
Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
The Canadian Research Insights Council, the professional body for the polling industry, states that online surveys cannot have a margin of error since they do not use random sampling.
Only 1 percent of Americans told Leger they consider Canada an enemy country, while 56 percent said they view Canada as an ally.
The poll also shows that a strong majority of Canadians hold an unfavorable view of Donald Trump, with 74 percent expressing disapproval, while only 13 percent view him favorably. Among Conservative supporters, that number rises to 27 percent, compared to just 5 percent of Liberals and 7 percent of NDP voters. Conservatives were also more likely to see the U.S. as an ally (48 percent), whereas only about 20 percent of Liberals and New Democrats agreed. Meanwhile, 37 percent of Liberals, 34 percent of NDP supporters and 47 percent of Bloc Québécois voters consider the U.S. an enemy state.
The poll comes after Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent additional tariff on imports from Canada in a move that could devastate the country’s economy. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, with 75 percent of its exports going to the U.S., so higher tariffs would have a significant effect.
Trump said that the tariffs were intended to put pressure on Canada to do more to curb the flow of illegal drugs, such as fentanyl, into the U.S.
At the beginning of February, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threat after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government would name a fentanyl czar, list Mexican cartels as terrorist groups and launch a “Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.”
But Trump’s threat has already influenced public opinion in Canada. A recent Ipsos poll for Global News, conducted between January 30 and February 3 among 1,000 Canadians, found that 68 percent of Canadians surveyed think less of the United States as a country after Trump’s tariff threat. Nearly half of all respondents, 46 percent, said they strongly held that negative perception.
Canada’s trade minister, Mary Ng addressed the issue during an interview with Bloomberg TV, emphasizing that tariffs would be harmful to American consumers.
“Adding a tariff just simply makes it more expensive for Americans. Adding tariffs to Canadian exports simply means that it’s going to cost Americans more at the grocery store. It’s going to cost Americans more at the pumps. So, it makes no sense,” Ng said.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday, February 17, stated that some tariffs would be implemented gradually, allowing companies time to relocate operations to the U.S. to avoid them.
What People Are Saying
Sébastien Dallaire, Leger’s executive vice-president for Eastern Canada, said he was surprised “to see Canadians so divided on that front when the United States has been an ally for such a long period, and a strong ally at that.”
He added that “enemy” is a “strong word.”
“The responses basically speak to the level of animosity that we feel right now in Canada and that are triggering kind of a broader rally-around-the-flag effect in all aspects of our lives,” Dallaire said.
What Happens Next
Although Trump’s tariff threat is temporarily on hold until March, there is no guarantee that it won’t be enforced once the 30-day period expires. If the tariffs are implemented, they could escalate tensions between the U.S. and Canada, straining economic ties and potentially triggering retaliatory measures from the Canadian government. The uncertainty surrounding the situation has left businesses and policymakers on edge, as they await further developments that could significantly impact trade, supply chains and overall diplomatic relations between the two countries.
