Trade war, cost of living top of mind for most voters in upcoming federal election: report

The cost of living and the trade war are big issues for voters in the federal election, according to a new report.

With a federal election announcement expected this weekend, Canadians could be headed to the polls in the spring, and a new report suggests the cost of living and the ongoing trade war will be their biggest issues.

Narrative Research, a marketing intelligence company with offices in Halifax and St. John’s, surveyed 1,231 Canadians about the key issues for them going into the 2025 election.

The cost of living was the overwhelming top choice with 67 per cent of respondents choosing it. Fifty-three per cent of respondents also chose the U.S. trade war as a major concern.

“There’s the issues that voters are concerned about, whether it’s cost of living, access to health care, climate change, but by far this is kind of a one issue election, and that’s dealing with Donald Trump in the United States,” said J.P. Lewis, a political professor with the University of New Brunswick. “Trump will interfere in this campaign more than any other president has in our lifetime, so it’ll be reactions to that, whether they are overt talking about what’s going on or it’s simply things that the Americans and Trump are doing that the government or the candidates have to respond to.”

Health care, improving the economy and housing affordability round out the top five issues for voters.

Heading into the 2021 federal election, climate change was a big issue for voters, but Narrative Research says only 13 per cent of respondents chose it this time.

“Younger Canadians place greater importance on the cost of living, poverty alleviation, income support, childcare and racial inequality, while older Canadians are much more concerned about the U.S. trade war, healthcare and treatment of senior citizens,” the report reads. “Cost of living and housing affordability are more important to those on lower incomes, while those with higher incomes are more concerned about improving the economy.”

Narrative Research says 36 per cent of respondents will vote based on the policies or issue positions of the parties, compared to 28 per cent in 2021. The percentage of people who generally vote for the same party in every election is down from 32 per cent in 2021 to 23 per cent.

“Canadian voters appear to be much more flexible in their voting choices than in the past,” said Margaret Chapman, COO and partner at Narrative Research. “A party’s policy and response to issues – particularly addressing the cost of living and fighting the trade war – are now much more likely to sway voters, who are now less likely to be loyal to a single party.”

-With files from CTV Atlantic’s Avery MacRae