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Americans Trust Canada in Trade Talks More than Their Own Government

New poll suggests most believe Canada negotiates in good faith

F or years, Canadians have operated on two competing assumptions: that Americans like them and that Americans barely think of them at all. New polling from Leger suggests both instincts are correct, even amid continued trade tensions between Ottawa and Washington.

In a survey of 1,004 American voters conducted April 17–20, Canada remains one of the few nations Americans still view with overwhelming warmth. Asked how they would describe Canada in the context of the economic and trade relationship, a majority characterize the country in broadly positive terms.

But the data is shaded with warning. That goodwill is no longer as solid, instinctive, or politically untouchable as it once seemed. Compared with a similar Leger survey from October, the share of Americans who describe Canada as either a “close ally” or a “friendly partner” has dropped by seven points. Over the same period, the proportion who see Canada as an “unfriendly neighbour” or even an “adversary” has climbed from 13 to 18 percent.

These are not dramatic swings. They point, instead, to a shift—less a rupture than a gradual fraying that could grow more significant if negotiations over the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement continue to stall in the months ahead.

Even as affection for Canada is showing signs of strain, one perception has remained remarkably consistent. Fully 30 percent of Americans describe Canada as a “neutral neighbour with limited impact on U.S. affairs”—a figure unchanged from last fall.........

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