Four in five Canadians now describe their country’s relationship with the U.S. as negative, a level of agreement that cuts across region, ideology, and tariff exposure, while fewer than one in three Americans see it the same way, according to recent binational polling from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.
The report, “Beyond CUSMA: Crisis, Co-operation and the Relationship Ahead,” was prepared for the school’s New North America Initiative and is based on two waves of surveys conducted this spring—roughly 1,000 Canadians polled by Nanos Research and about 1,000 Americans polled by Ipsos were polled in late March and late April this year, after Canada had previously faced a series of insults from U.S. President Donald Trump and threats from his administration, including barring the Gordie Howe International Bridge from opening.
The numbers sketch a major contrast between citizens of the two neighbouring nations. In the polling, 81 percent of Canadians called the relationship negative (44 percent calling it very negative), compared with 31 percent of Americans, and while only 1 percent of Canadians were unsure how to answer, 17 percent of Americans couldn’t say.
Canadian favourability toward the U.S. has collapsed to 20 percent—roughly where Canadians place China—and 77 percent of Canadians now name the U.S. as a major challenge to Canada’s economic prosperity, far ahead of China at 44 percent.
Few Americans raise a quarrel with Canada. Just 8 percent see Canada as a major economic challenge—the lowest of any country tested—and 52 percent still hold a favourable view of Canada. Part of that is likely the lack of attention Americans pay to Canada. Three-quarters of Americans have never visited Canada, and 70 percent never follow Canadian news.