The threat of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked a surge in national pride among Canadians.
A survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute found that the percentage of Canadians who say they are “very proud” to be Canadian has risen from 34% in December to 44% in February. The proportion of those who express a “deep emotional attachment” to the country has also climbed by 10%.
“The population has received a boost in patriotic sentiment but remains concerned about what the future holds,” reads the report.
Canada received a month-long reprieve from the U.S. imposing a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to implement his $1.3 billion border plan. The enhancements are said to include nearly 10,000 frontline personnel and a new “Fentanyl Czar,” alongside an additional $200 million to address organized crime and fentanyl trafficking.
The previous version of the national pride survey in Dec. showed that pandemic and economic woes resulted in plummeting pride and attachment to Canada over the last several years.
In 1985, 78% of Canadians said they were “very proud” to be Canadian, but this number steadily declined over the following decades, dropping to 68% by 2003. The downward trend continued, falling to 52% in 2016, a year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office. By 2024, national pride hit a record low of 34%, marking the steepest decline in recent history. The Trump tariff dispute has sparked the first significant rebound in decades.
“Trump bringing the U.S. to the brink of a trade war with Canada appears to have reversed some of the losses in pride seen over the past 30 years,” reads the report.
Canadians said they were following the Trump tariffs more closely than they followed the Israel-Hamas conflict, Russia invading Ukraine, the SNC-Lavalin scandal, and more.
The only recent international event that drew Canadians’ attention more than the tariffs was the emergence of Covid-19, which 90% of Canadians followed closely or very closely. Comparatively, 89% of Canadians followed the Trump tariffs very closely or closely.
The percentage of Canadians who said that they have a “deep emotional attachment” to Canada and are “very proud” or “proud” to be Canadian increased in every single province except Manitoba, where it decreased in both categories.
Interestingly, the premier from every province issued a response to the tariff pause except Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
The issues and challenges that were top of mind for Canadians also took a notable shift between the Dec. and Feb. surveys.
U.S. tariffs and relations with the U.S. both emerged as new categories, with 28% and 20% of Canadians, respectively, saying that this was a top three issue for them. The other top concerns remained the cost of living/inflation, healthcare, and housing affordability.
Almost every Canadian, 95%, said that the country should focus on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers, which would help the country become less reliant on the U.S. and others. Even 99% of the separatist party Bloc Québecois supporters felt this way.
Aligning with that sentiment, 91% of Canadians felt it was vital for Canada to reduce its reliance on the U.S. as a trading partner.
One way to reduce reliance on U.S. trade is to expand Canada’s oil and gas infrastructure. Almost eight in ten said the country should increase its pipeline capacity by having oil and gas pipelines running from sea to sea across the country.
However, 59% of Canadians also support repairing relations with the U.S. to restore pre-tariff trade stability.
Despite feeling so strongly about the tariffs, very few Canadians thought it would result in losing their jobs, at 3%. However, three in ten are less certain but worry about what might happen.