Canadians seek to be disentangled from the US. The Americans have proven themselves to not act consistently over the long run

Original Publish Date » April 8 , 2025
Last Updated » 2 weeks

John Woodside / National Observer » The Angus Reid Institute found 39% of Canadians believe the trade war with the US will last until Trump’s term is over — compared to 34% who believe it will last under a year.

“The outlook among Canadians is increasingly confrontational as the country embraces an ‘elbows up’ approach,” the polling firm found. Notably, since December, more Canadians want the country to play hardball with the US, while fewer think Canadian officials should try to negotiate with Trump for lower tariffs or concede to his demands.

The crux of the issue is not just that Trump is chaotic — it’s that political polarization has seized the country so intensely that policies can change significantly from administration to administration, said Asa McKercher, research chair in Canada-US relations at St. Francis Xavier University. With about half of US voters and half of Congress divided, the country can’t be counted on to act consistently in the long run.