Canadians Back Tough US Trade Stance but Reject Paying the Price

A new poll by Build Canada, sampling 1,696 adults, finds strong public support for a hard line against the United States in the ongoing trade war, but a sharp reluctance to bear the economic fallout. More than 56% deem an extra $500 per household per year—roughly a 1% tax rise—unacceptable, and 68% consider any increase in household job-loss risk intolerable. Only 20% say Canada should make concessions to keep trade access, with Conservatives more likely than Liberals to favor compromise.

The backdrop is Prime Minister Mark Carney’s refusal of a US-Canada trade normalization deal, prompting a 50% US tariff on $27.6 billion of Canadian imports and a retaliatory package of 639 Canadian counter-tariffs on US goods. Carney has signaled the stance will remain through the end of one outlet US administration in 2029. Build Canada, a think-tank launched in 2025 with tech-sector backing, conducted the poll between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.