Three-quarters of Canadians favour using tariffs on energy and critical minerals in trade war with U.S.: survey

Pumpjacks draw out oil and gas from well heads near Calgary, Alta., Friday, April 28, 2023. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and is the world's fourth largest oil producer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

When it comes to combatting threats to Canada’s economy, a majority of Canadians think energy and critical minerals should be part of Canada’s arsenal, a new Nanos Research survey suggests.

Three out of four Canadians are in favour of putting tariffs on oil, natural gas and electricity, potash and other critical minerals if the U.S. goes ahead with tariffs, according to the survey by Nanos Research conducted for CTV News and The Globe and Mail.

It found that 68 per cent would support the action, while eight to nine per cent would be somewhat supportive. About 17 per cent would oppose or somewhat oppose the move, while five to six per cent were unsure.

The survey was conducted March 28-30 and included 1,264 random Canadian adults across the country by phone. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

“As Canadians brace for U.S. President Trump’s April 2 ‘Liberation Day’ and potential tariffs, they very much support action whether it be retaliation with putting tariffs on energy or critical mineral exports,” Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research, said in a statement.

The issue of energy has been a point of disagreement between Alberta and the other provinces.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been adamant that she will not accept export tariffs on Canadian oil, a move that would adversely affect her province.

Others have argued that energy is a key bargaining chip in Canada’s battle over tariffs, that each province has industries where certain kinds of tariffs would hurt them more, and that nothing should be off limits.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said that everything – including energy – should be on the table when it comes to Canada’s tariff response. He threatened earlier this month to raise the price of electricity that Ontario sells to 1.5 million U.S. customers across three states, or to even cut off access completely.

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The move caught Trump’s attention, with the president calling Ford “a strong man” and resulted in a meeting between a Canadian delegation and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, D.C.

Regionally, the survey found that support for putting tariffs on oil, natural gas and electricity was highest in Ontario (72.5 per cent) and B.C. (71.8 per cent), while it was lowest in the Prairies (58.8 per cent) and Quebec (65.9 per cent).

The survey also found that Canadians favour including another big-ticket item as part of the country’s retaliatory measures.

More than 60 per cent of Canadians support or somewhat support cancelling a $19 billion purchase of new U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets and buying European-made jets instead.

The survey found that 18 per cent opposed the move, while three per cent somewhat opposed it.