A new Angus Reid poll shows Canadians support Ottawa's trade stance but are worried about the path ahead
Three-quarters of Canadians have endorsed Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to walk away from US trade negotiations last Friday, August 22 – a rare cross-partisan vote of confidence in Ottawa's approach, even as nearly two-in-five workers admit worrying about their own jobs.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, drawn from a survey of 1,468 Canadian adults conducted August 22–23, finds that 76% believe Canada was right to break off talks rather than accept what Carney described as last-minute American demands that were unfair and uneconomic.
Those demands included changes to auto tariff arrangements, restrictions on Canada's future trade deals with third countries, and what the Prime Minister called "efforts to restrict our protections of our language, our culture and in effect our sovereignty."
Canada is now subject to US trade penalties under a so-called Section 338 tariff order, with Ottawa preparing to respond with dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs targeting US steel, dairy, appliances, and agricultural goods – measures set to take effect the Tuesday after Labour Day, September 8.
A united front that crosses party lines
Support for Ottawa's stance holds at majority levels in every province, bottoming out at 65% in Saskatchewan and 67% in Alberta, according to the Angus Reid Institute.
Notably, 53% of those who voted Conservative in the 2025 federal election say it was right to walk away rather than accept a bad deal, suggesting the national consensus reaches well beyond Carney's own political base.
Three-in-five (62%) called Canada's counter-tariff response "about right under the circumstances," with at least half in every province agreeing the retaliation is proportionate.
Seven-in-10 (69%) say Carney showed "strength by refusing to accept terms he believed were not in Canada's interests."
Meanwhile, 59% believe the outcome was largely beyond Canada's control, saying the country had "not very much" or "no control at all" over whether an agreement could be reached. Half of respondents say they are not confident a deal will be produced while Trump remains in office.
Job fears shadow a confident public face
That resolve co-exists with acute economic anxiety. Approaching two-in-five workers (38%) say the trade dispute may affect their own employment, with 13% describing themselves as "very concerned."
Canada could lose 102,000 jobs and $271 billion in GDP by 2035 if CUSMA collapses, according to new Oxford Economics analysis commissioned by the Canadian American Business Council.https://t.co/jGKSbavOX0
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) August 14, 2026
Industry analysts project a no-deal outcome could cost Canada 0.4% of GDP and as many as 90,000 jobs. That's a calculation that carries real weight for mortgage professionals tracking client income stability and purchasing capacity.
Near nine-in-10 respondents (89%) worry the escalation will drive inflation higher, a concern Carney acknowledged when announcing the retaliatory measures, saying he was doing so "reluctantly, because we recognise that some of these measures will raise costs and reduce choice for Canadians."
Ottawa has pledged $25 billion in federal support to protect affected workers and businesses.
Yet on the long view, most Canadians project cautious confidence. Three-in-five (59%) believe the country can adapt, and two-thirds (64%) believe Canada will emerge stronger by reducing its dependence on the US economy and building new trade partnerships.
One-in-three (35%), however, worries the damage to the bilateral relationship will be lasting.
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