How Canadians feel about Carney government progress, politicians’ summer break, according to Nanos survey

Prime Minister Mark Carney makes his way through the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The majority of Canadians think the country’s politicians should work through the summer to deliver the “concrete results” they expect this year, according to a Nanos survey.

Results of a survey commissioned by CTV News during the first week of June suggest most polled expect to see some type of progress by the end of the year on major initiatives undertaken by the new Carney government. Nearly four-in-10 (38 per cent) surveyed said they expect results, while another 12 per cent said they believe they’ll be waiting until 2026 or 2027 to see progress.

Respondents were not asked about specific initiatives, but the recently elected Liberals campaigned on a platform that included tax cuts for the middle class, protections against the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, diversified trade and “Canada’s most ambitious housing plan since the Second World War.”

Asked when they expect to see the results of initiatives implemented under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership, an optimistic three per cent thought they’d see changes by the end of the month. Seventeen per cent said they don’t expect to see results from the major Liberal initiatives at all, according to Nanos data. Men were more likely than women to say they didn’t expect much from the current government, at 23 per cent compared to 12 per cent. People aged 18 to 34 were more pessimistic about their expectations than those 55 and older, with 25 per cent of the younger group expecting no concrete results, compared to 10 per cent of the older demographic.

Sitting through the summer

As for what respondents said they’d like to see from federal politicians, about two-thirds said they think it’s important or somewhat important that the new government work through the summer, rather than take the usual break. Respondents in Ontario and the Prairies felt most strongly about a summer sitting, while those in Quebec were less concerned. Still, a majority in those regions felt it was important to some extent that leaders forgo the break.

The Liberals said previously they planned to delay the budget release until the fall, after the House of Commons returns in mid-September.

Opposition parties have been critical of this decision, as well as of the new government’s throne speech, which has been described as vague and lacking in detail on economic policies.

Canadians appear to be split on whether the Liberal government should table a budget before the fall, with 53 per cent surveyed saying it was important or somewhat important. Men, residents of the Prairies and respondents under the age of 55 were more likely to say they wanted a budget sooner than the fall sitting.

Methodology from Nanos

This study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research. Nanos conducted a random-digit-dialed dual-frame hybrid telephone and online survey of 1,120 randomly selected Canadians aged 18 or older, between June 1 and 3. The results were weighted by age and gender using the latest census information (2021) and geographically stratified to represent the Canadian population, Nanos says. The margin of error is ±2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.