Majority of Canadians now see U.S. as an enemy, and Trump is the reason: poll

For as long as anyone can remember, Canada and the U.S. have arguably been the world’s closest of allies and friends. The sibling settler-colonial nations sharing the world’s longest undefended border are deeply linked, culturally and economically, with any differences historically resolved respectfully.

But as the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump drags on, getting uglier every day, a growing number of Canadians have a very different view of America: our “enemy.”

New polling by Leger found a strong plurality of Canadians (41 per cent) consider the U.S. an enemy country before an ally or neutral (both at 22 per cent).

“Donald Trump, man, he can move public opinion like nobody’s business,” Leger vice-president Andrew Enns told National Post in an interview.

More than half (51 per cent) of those 55 or older perceived the U.S. as an enemy, only 13 per cent of whom see it as neutral. Meanwhile, Quebecers were the Canadians most likely (49 per cent) see the U.S. in that light and the least likely to consider it an ally (17 per cent) or neutral (20 per cent), one of several times an “exclamation point” appeared on some Quebec results.

Enns said they related to the province’s election this fall, which the Trump factor has unavoidably entered into.

“It’s helping, I would suggest, some of those federalist parties,” he said. “It’s probably creating some grief for the PQ, the front-runner in that election, as they’re trying to sort of navigate this.”

Even with the recent sharp movement in how Canadians characterize the U.S, Leger’s results indicate most still distinguish between America the country and the Trump administration ruling it. When asked if his leaving office would change their impression, 64 per cent said yes, 21 per cent said it wouldn’t and 14 per cent were unsure.

Results indicate Quebecers and women would be most open to a change of heart, with 72 and 71 per cent saying Trump’s departure would alter their impression of the U.S. and only 16 per cent, respectively, saying it wouldn’t change a thing. British Columbians (30 per cent) and men (27 per cent) were the least amenable to a new way of thinking.

Brian Rathbun, a professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, said that while Canadians may recognize that most Americans don’t support the way Canada’s being treated, it’s important to remember that Americans, simply as a function of their larger economy and population, are somewhat indifferent to Canadians.

“But at some point, I think Canadians will start to get frustrated if this persists, even if it’s not what the American public wants,” Rathbun told National Post in an interview.

“They can say, ‘Why is it that no one’s standing up to this particular bully?’ Then I think that you could get into something like a deeper problem that couldn’t be fixed by kicking this guy out.”

Rathbun, himself an American who moved to Canada in April 2024 from southern California, said Canadians may be starting to realize that a change in leadership — “even with a Democratic president” — won’t fix the “basket case” the U.S. has become.

“It’s become something of an ungovernable country,” he said.

Leger landed on enemy as a “black and white” catch-all against ally or neutral for people who felt negatively towards the U.S., Enns explained, acknowledging it could mean something different to some, including those who legitimately fear the U.S. will try to invade Canada.

It’s not the first time they’ve felt this way.

Last March, after months of enduring Trump’s jabs at Canada and two weeks into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “Elbows Up” bid to see the Liberals retain government, 43 per cent saw the U.S. as an enemy. But that number dropped precipitously to 27 per cent in a poll last June after it seemed as though cooler heads might prevail.

Fast forward to this summer, noted Enns, and Trump’s “really, really deliberate comments around Canada” have permeated into “a pretty broad sentiment across the country.”

Rathbun isn’t surprised by the 41 per cent who see the U.S. as an enemy, and reasoned that, unlike Russia, for example, many “Canadians feel like American policy is more malicious vis-à-vis Canada” because it’s more direct.

Both he and Enns agree the freshly stoked rhetoric from Trump and his administration — some of it entirely separate from the trade discussion — is only making things worse. This week alone, aside from Trump blasting Canada on Truth Social, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took a shot at the Canadian Navy’s aging submarine fleet and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was accused of body-shaming Canadian cadets.

Enns said the proportion seeing the U.S. as an enemy could climb if Trump and his ilk continue to “double down” on disparaging Canada.

Rathbun highlighted the Lake Ontario-Lake America discussion as a “classic example.”

“It’s entirely unimportant what the Americans call Lake Ontario, and yet, at the same time, it probably galls us more than softwood lumber tariffs, unless we’re in the softwood lumber industry,” he said. “Why? Because it’s indicative of a lack of respect, and respect is so basic to our self-understanding of ourselves as people.”

Leger also sought to gauge Canadians’ feelings on tariffs — both those initiated by Trump and those Canada has launched or promised to in retaliation.

A large majority (87 per cent) of Canadians expect Trump’s tariffs will have some level of impact on their personal financial situation, whether small (24 per cent), moderate (40 per cent) or major (24 per cent), and 38 per cent are somewhat (22 per cent) or very (16 per cent) concerned about losing their job in the next 12 months — especially in Ontario (49 per cent) and among 18-34-year-olds (46 per cent).

As for Canada’s latest economic riposte, Ottawa announced “new countermeasures on $27.6 billion in products imported from the U.S.” effective Sept. 8. The 15 to 50 per cent levies will apply to U.S. steel, aluminum, dishwashers, refrigerators, video game consoles, cheese, beauty products, plywood, paper products and clothing, among others.

Almost three-quarters of Canadians (74 per cent) agree with the counterattack, with only 13 per cent dissenting and the remaining 13 per cent unsure or preferring not to answer.

Solidarity with Canada’s reprisal peaked among the 55-plus crowd (83 per cent) and in B.C. (80 per cent), but wasn’t far off in Quebec (78 per cent). Respondents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan were most likely to disagree (22 per cent).

Canadians by and large (78 per cent) expect Ottawa’s retaliation will result in higher prices paid by Canadian consumers, but 66 per cent agree with Canada’s clapback, with the strongest support from those 55-plus (76 per cent), men (71 per cent), and people in B.C. (72 per cent). Just over a fifth of respondents (21 per cent) are against the retaliation.

Enns said the results tell him there “are some conflicting opinions within the Canadian public and at some point, the ‘Ra-Ra, Canada-proud, sticking to the American with some tariffs,’ could start to soften if it becomes really painful for households’ pocketbook.

“If this thing just sort of settles and all of a sudden we’re into the fall going into the winter, we’re not talking necessarily about Donald Trump and maybe his insults aren’t making the front pages,” he said. “But what might be making the front pages is suddenly the impact on food prices.”

That’s a topic already on respondents’ minds, evidenced by the 35 per cent who cited inflation and rising cost of items as the top issue facing Canadians. Trump, his tariffs and U.S. aggression were the second biggest (24 per cent), followed by health care (10 per cent) in a distant third.

Enns and Rathbun warned the conflict of tariffs and the cost of living could put some heat on Carney and the Liberals.

“The big question is, and the big challenge for a leader, is how long you can persist in that course and basically how much resolve ordinary Canadians will have? We don’t know,” said Rathbun. “Because it’s easy to say this now because we haven’t really paid the price yet.”

Still, he said the “childish” and “bullying” behaviour from the U.S. side is only emboldening Canadians and likely helping Carney’s cause.

Canadians may be willing to endure blows in the trade war because national pride has surged since it began, according to polling data.

A plurality of Canadians (83 per cent) say they are proud to be Canadians, but the proportion who feel very proud (56 per cent) increased by 11 points since polling last June, and up from 40 per cent in 2024. Only 13 per cent said they weren’t very proud (eight per cent) or not proud at all (five per cent).

“The overall pridefulness of Canadians hasn’t wavered much since we started asking that question around when all this sort of stuff started happening in 2025, but the intensity really, really jumped up,” Enns said.

Since the trade war hit a fever pitch this summer, 41 per cent told Leger they feel more proud, including 45 per cent of Ontarians and men. Only 15 per cent are less proud and 44 per cent said their level of pride hasn’t changed.

Overall net pride was highest in Ontario and B.C. (85 per cent, respectively), among women (86 per cent) and 55-plus Canadians (88 per cent). And while Quebecers were the most likely to say they are not proud to be a Canadian (17 per cent), 79 per cent of them still expressed pride.

Rathbun said that sense of nationalism is understandable and offered a different perspective.

“It’s also understandable that Canadians feel more pride, even though nothing about Canada has changed — it’s the Americans that are essentially reducing American pride,” he said, “So that pride is really just a reaction to something that they don’t like somewhere else.”

Canadians also remain steadfast against becoming the 51st state (85 per cent opposed), again with Quebecers (89 per cent) and the 55-plus group (93 per cent) opposed. British Columbians (13 per cent) and the 18-34 crowd (14 per cent) showed the most support.

The survey of 1,552 respondents in Canada was conducted by Leger between Aug. 28-31. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of 1,552 respondents would have a margin of error no greater than plus or minus 2.48 per cent, 19 times out of 20.