Canadians growing more alarmed by U.S. tariffs, aggression: poll

President Donald Trump stands in the presidential box as he tours the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Monday, March 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-POOL

OTTAWA — A new poll suggests Canadians are feeling increasingly alarmed by U.S. tariffs, President Donald Trump and American economic aggression.

The Leger poll, which sampled more than 1,500 Canadian adults from March 14 to March 16, suggests 41 per cent of respondents see those three factors as the most pressing threats facing Canada today — a 13 point spike since the March 3 survey.

The poll also suggests that people in Quebec are most concerned about tariffs, Trump and U.S. aggression, with 51 per cent of respondents there citing them as the biggest issues.

Forty-two per cent of Ontarians surveyed, 39 per cent of British Columbians, 35 per cent of Atlantic Canadians, 32 per cent of people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and 26 per cent of Albertans said tariffs and Trump are the top issues facing the country.

Because the poll was conducted online, it can’t be assigned a margin of error.

Sébastien Dallaire, Leger’s executive vice-president for Eastern Canada, says the increase in concern is not a surprise given how much media attention Canada-U.S. relations have garnered.

“The really important thing for the upcoming federal election campaign, we all assume there’s going to be one, is going to be who is better at dealing with what comes next, which will be about affordability, the impact of tariffs, the impact of the retaliatory measures,” Dallaire said.

Dallaire said there’s no doubt that if new tariffs are imposed on April 2, there will be inflationary pressures.

“At this very moment in time it is about dealing with U.S. aggression, what is it going to be in a few weeks when the true effects of all of this become real,” Dallaire said. “Right now they are more emotional than pocketbook, when they really hit the wallets is when we’re going to see the true reaction.”

The poll suggests that men and women feel similarly concerned, with 41 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women citing relations with the U.S. as the biggest issue.

Older Canadians seem to be much more worried about Washington than younger respondents.

While 54 per cent of respondents aged 55 and older said tariffs, Trump and U.S. aggression were the biggest issues facing Canada, 38 per cent of respondents between the ages of 35 and 54 and 23 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 agreed.

Eighteen per cent of respondents cited inflation as the top issue facing Canada, 10 per cent chose housing affordability and nine per cent pointed to health care. Less than four per cent of respondents cited other issues, such as taxes, climate change and immigration.

Liberals and Bloc Québécois voters were most likely to view tariffs, Trump and U.S. aggression as the number one issue facing Canada, at 57 and 55 per cent respectively, while 35 per cent of NDP supporters and 29 per cent of Conservative supporters agreed.

A number of recent polls have suggested Trump and his shifting tariff threats are a top-tier issue for Canadians.

Trump’s chaotic takeover of the White House, his on-again, off-again tariffs and his constant talk of making Canada part of the U.S. have triggered a massive wave of Canadian national pride.

Trump’s trade war escalated last week when the U.S. imposed 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports entering the country, prompting Canada to expand its suite of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.

In this week’s poll, slightly more than one in three Canadians said they would seriously consider moving to another country — other than the United States — if faced with the prospect of Canada being absorbed by the U.S.

Almost half of Canadians aged 18 to 34 were more likely to say they’d move, compared with one-third of those between 35 and 54, and less than one-third of those over the age of 55.

The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

With files from Sarah Ritchie.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2025.