A view of the Canadian flag on May 17, 2022 in Saint John’s, Canada. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Several recent polls suggest that a majority of Canadians support retaliatory tariffs against the United States, but that support drops sharply when the potential consequences include personal job losses and greater economic costs.
A survey released Sept. 8 by the non-profit group Build Canada found that 75 percent of respondents supported Canada maintaining a firm position in the trade dispute with the United States, even if it resulted in long-term economic costs. However, 68 percent said they would not support a tough stance if it increased the risk of someone in their household facing a significantly higher chance of losing their job.
The poll also found between 56 and 60 percent of respondents would not support Canada taking a tough stance if it resulted in household tax increases of $500, $1,000, or $2,500. Similarly, between 58 and 68 percent said they would change their position if the approach resulted in losses of 5, 10 or 20 percent to retirement savings or investments.
The survey also found a substantial partisan divide: 96 percent of respondents who said they voted Liberal in the 2025 election supported maintaining a tough stance toward Washington, compared with 41 percent of those who said they voted Conservative.
Build Canada said the findings highlight a tension between support for a firm negotiating position and willingness to accept its potential impact on household finances.
“‘Elbows up’ is not a blank cheque,” said Lucy Hargreaves, co-founder and CEO of Build Canada in a release on the findings. “Political leaders should not confuse broad support for holding firm with consent to endure personal losses. These results show that Canadians favour a firm negotiating position while rejecting what it could mean for their jobs, taxes and savings.”
An Angus Reid poll published Sept. 8 found a similar trend, with 73 percent of respondents saying Ottawa should refuse difficult concessions even if doing so worsened trade relations with the United States. However, support for that position fell sharply when respondents were asked about the prospect of someone in their household losing their job.
The poll found that 60 percent of respondents would stay the course and oppose major concessions to the United States even if it led to higher household expenses, 52 percent if it led to a recession, 50 percent if it resulted in small businesses in their neighbourhood shutting down, and 46 percent if it led to large industries and factories moving production to the United States.
However, support for Canada maintaining a tough position fell to 42 percent if it would lead to personal job loss.
Meanwhile, an Abacus Data poll published Aug. 17 found that 74 percent of respondents said the trade dispute had already affected their household finances, including 30 percent who said the impact had been major.
Dalhousie University professor Sylvain Charlebois said Canadian attitudes are likely to shift as the personal impact of U.S. counter-tariffs and import restrictions becomes more apparent.
“The issue of economic pain for most Canadians is abstract,” he previously told The Epoch Times. “I suspect that at some point, when people are going to start feeling personal pain, they’re probably going to call the PMO [Prime Minister’s Office] and say, ‘enough is enough.’”
Trade Dispute
The recent polling comes in the wake of Ottawa imposing counter-tariffs of 15 to 50 percent on roughly $27.6 billion of U.S. imports on Sept. 8, matching U.S. tariffs of 50 percent imposed on the same value of Canadian goods that took effect Aug. 22.
U.S. President Donald Trump originally announced the tariffs in late July, citing what his administration described as “discriminatory” trade practices by Canada involving U.S. alcohol, dairy, and automotive products.
Trade talks broke down Aug. 21, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying the United States had introduced last-minute changes to its proposed terms that were unfair and uneconomic. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, meanwhile, said Canada had made last-minute changes to a near-final agreement that Washington found unacceptable.
Carney warned that the new Canadian measures would “raise costs and reduce choice for Canadians,” while saying they were necessary to protect Canadian jobs and industries and help Canadian producers compete with U.S. products in the Canadian market. Greer said the U.S. measures were intended to address what Washington described as discriminatory treatment of American exports.
Following the collapse of the trade talks, Trump announced on Sept. 7 that Montreal-based Bombardier would be barred from selling aircraft in the United States unless it moved production to the United States. On Sept. 8, he also directed the U.S. General Services Administration to begin removing Canadian-made products from lists of goods eligible for U.S. government contracts, citing what he described as a lack of equal access for U.S. companies to Canadian government contracts.
The United States has also imposed tariffs on Canadian vehicles and automotive products, with the scope of those measures modified in a Sept. 8 presidential proclamation.
Trump has also threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks and automotive parts from 25 percent to 50 percent starting Jan. 1, 2027.