Public support in Canada for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s confrontational approach to trade talks with Washington remains strong, even as President Donald Trump opened a new front in the dispute by attacking the exchange-rate gap between the two countries’ currencies.
A Nanos Research poll conducted for The Globe and Mail found that 85% of 1,037 respondents supported or somewhat supported Carney’s decision to reject a proposed trade deal with the United States. Eight in ten backed Ottawa’s plan to impose dollar-for-dollar countertariffs on a range of U.S. products starting Tuesday.
The survey results indicate Canadians are prepared to absorb economic pain to strengthen their government’s negotiating position as bilateral relations deteriorate. Roughly seven in ten respondents said they were willing or somewhat willing to pay higher prices for everyday goods as part of Canada’s response to American tariffs.
That resolve is being tested by new pressure from Washington. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday that the exchange-rate imbalance between the Canadian and U.S. dollars is “unacceptable,” adding that it “has been that way for years, but it will not be anymore.” The president did not specify what level or policy action he had in mind, and the White House has not offered further explanation.
The Canadian dollar has traded below parity with its U.S. counterpart for most of the past 15 years. It currently sits at about 1.38 per U.S. dollar, meaning one Canadian dollar buys roughly 72 U.S. cents. The long-term average is about 1.24. Since 2015, the pair has generally fluctuated between 1.20 and 1.45.
A weaker currency makes Canadian goods cheaper for American buyers while raising the cost of U.S. imports for Canadian consumers. Trump has repeatedly linked the exchange-rate differential to the broader trade deficit between the two countries.
The currency remarks come after trade negotiations collapsed last month, when Carney ordered Canadian negotiators to withdraw from Washington, citing unreasonable U.S. demands that extended from French-language protections to tariffs on trucks. The United States subsequently moved to impose a 50% tariff on major Canadian products, and Carney said his government would respond with matching retaliatory measures beginning September 8.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, the polling shows a nuanced public mood. About two-thirds of Canadians said they were worried or somewhat worried about the impact of tariffs on themselves and their families. At the same time, six in ten expressed confidence that Canada could protect its economic interests under a new agreement with the United States.
Canadians’ perception of their southern neighbor has also deteriorated. Three-quarters of respondents disagreed to some degree that the U.S. was a trustworthy ally, though more than three in five expected bilateral relations to improve or somewhat improve over the next five years.
IndicatorShare of respondentsSupport or somewhat support rejecting proposed U.S. trade deal85%Back dollar-for-dollar countertariffs on U.S. products80%Willing to pay higher prices for everyday goodsAbout 70%Worried about tariff impact on themselves and familyAbout 67%Disagree U.S. is a trustworthy ally75%
Note: Figures are from a Nanos Research poll of 1,037 Canadians conducted for The Globe and Mail.
The poll results suggest Carney has political room to maintain a firm stance even if the dispute squeezes household budgets. The prime minister’s decision to walk away from the negotiating table has so far consolidated rather than eroded domestic support, giving Ottawa leverage as both sides weigh their next moves.