Canadians Stand Firm Behind Carney Amid Escalating Trade Tensions with US
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has maintained a strong stance against the United States in trade talks, and Canadians largely support him. A recent poll by Nanos Research found that 85% of respondents supported or somewhat supported Carney's decision to reject a proposed trade deal with Washington.
The survey also revealed that eight in ten Canadians backed Ottawa's plan to impose dollar-for-dollar countertariffs on U.S. products starting September 8, and about seven in ten were willing or somewhat willing to pay higher prices for everyday goods as part of Canada's response to American tariffs.
President Donald Trump has escalated the rhetoric by attacking the exchange-rate gap between the two countries' currencies, calling it 'unacceptable.' The Canadian dollar has traded below parity with its U.S. counterpart for most of the past 15 years, currently sitting at about 1.38 per U.S. dollar.
Despite Trump's comments and the deteriorating bilateral relations, the poll results suggest that Canadians are prepared to absorb economic pain to strengthen their government's negotiating position.