Canadians want Ottawa and provinces to team up against Trump tariff threats: Nanos survey

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after ringing the opening bell on Dec. 12, 2024, in New York (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Alex Brandon)

A majority of Canadians want Ottawa and the provinces to team up against U.S. tariff threats, according to a new survey from Nanos Research.

The nationwide public opinion poll commissioned by CTV News found that 54 per cent of respondents want the federal and provincial governments to lead the response together, as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump vows to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all products entering his country.

Two in five Canadians (42 per cent) prefer that Ottawa leads Canada's response, while only 2.5 per cent thought the provinces should lead the effort to fight the proposed tariffs. Support for a joint response was highest in Quebec (59 per cent) and lowest in B.C. (51 per cent).

The survey also asked whether Canada should negotiate a new trade deal with the U.S. that excludes Mexico.

Trump has indicated that he plans to reopen the USMCA free trade agreement when it comes under review in 2026. The trilateral agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada replaced the earlier NAFTA treaty, which Trump targeted early in his first presidency.

Trump has also repeatedly raised concerns about the security of the U.S.-Mexico border and China's involvement in the Mexican economy.

Canadians were more divided about excluding Mexico from trade negotiations with the U.S., with 46 per cent supporting or somewhat supporting the idea, versus 43 per cent who opposed or somewhat opposed it.

Respondents in Ontario were the most likely to support negotiating a new trade deal without Mexico (52 per cent) while those in Quebec were the least likely (38 per cent). More than one in ten Canadians (11 per cent) were unsure.

Methodology

Nanos Research conducted the hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,045 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Dec. 30, 2024 and Jan. 5, 2025 as part of an omnibus survey. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Canadian census information, and the sample was geographically stratified to be representative of Canada. The margin of error for this survey is ±3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.