U.S.-Canada Trade Standoff Deepens as Public Opinion Diverges Sharply

With relations between the U.S. and Canada becoming more and more strained following the breakdown in trade talks between the two countries, most Canadians are backing their government and the way it has chosen to handle the standoff. But on the other side of the border, Americans are offering the Trump Administration far less support for its approach.

Trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada collapsed last month, with each side placing the blame on the other. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized the U.S. for requesting what he described as “last-minute changes” that he argued were “unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.” American President Donald Trump, meanwhile, accused Canada of “‘Ripping Off’ the U.S.A. for decades” and portrayed the country as being “difficult and unreasonable.”

Tensions between the two nations have only continued to grow. Last week, Trump signed an Executive Order directing his Interior Secretary to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America”—a move that angered Canadians and sparked pushback from political leaders in both Canada and the U.S.

While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Carney signaled that he would be willing to resume negotiations—but only if U.S. officials stop insulting and mocking his country. “When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” the Canadian leader said.

Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on his accusations against Canada when asked the following day about the prospect of talks starting back up. “Canada has been ripping off the United States for many, many years, for decades, many decades,” the President said during a Wednesday press conference.

Most Americans—nearly 70%—said they feel that the U.S. should be open to reaching a compromise with Canada, even if that leads to many of the U.S.’s demands not being met, according to an Ipsos poll that was released on Tuesday. In comparison, only 25% of Americans said they believe that the U.S. should take a firm stand against its northern neighbor and push for many of its demands to be met.

Americans were also more likely to hold their own government responsible for the breakdown in relations than Canada’s. About 46% said they think that the U.S. shoulders more of the blame for the ongoing trade war, while only 12% said they believe that Canada is more culpable and 18% said they feel that both parties are equally at fault, according to the poll.

The survey also found that most Americans oppose actions that could or have already escalated tensions between the two countries. For instance, nearly 60% of Americans said they are against the U.S. imposing additional tariffs on Canada, while only 20% indicated support for such an aggressive step. And more than 60% of Americans said they disagree with Trump’s order to rename Lake Ontario, while only 14% backed the move.

Americans’ objection to the Executive Order in particular was seen across party lines—84% of Democrats and 65% of independents said they were against it, and more Republicans (43%) objected to it than those who agreed with it (33%).

A recent Economist/YouGov poll produced similar results: nearly 60% of Americans who responded to the survey said they were against increasing tariffs on Canadian products, compared to less than 30% who said they would back such a move. About 45% said they think Canada has not been unfair to the U.S. when it comes to trading between the two nations, while just 28% are aligned with Trump in thinking that Canada has been unfair.

The majority—64%—of Americans still describe Canada as an ally or friendly, according to the Economist/YouGov poll. But while they remain a minority, the portion of Americans who view Canada in a negative light has grown in recent years; about 22% describe Canada as either unfriendly or an enemy, a record high since 2016. That growth has mostly been driven by Americans who identify as Republicans, the survey found.

Amid the standoff with Canada, Trump’s approval rating has remained at around 38%, where it has hovered in recent months. That figure marks a stark 14-point drop from where his approval rating stood when he retook the White House last January.

The majority of Canadians—63%—said they feel that the country made the right choice to maintain its stance and walk away from trade talks with the U.S., “even if it meant higher costs and job losses,” according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Global News that was released on Aug. 29. Even more Canadians—73%—said they agreed with the nation’s decision to launch retaliatory tariffs on American products worth billions of dollars.

The poll did find, though, that support for those actions was lower among younger demographics than it was among older age groups. For instance, a little less than 50% of Gen Z adults backed Canada’s decision to remain firm in trade negotiations, compared to 80% for elderly boomers.

Another poll, conducted by the Canadian nonprofit Angus Reid Institute, found that about 76% of Canadians believe the country was right to suspend trade talks, and that 69% said they believe that Carney demonstrated “strength” by turning down a “bad deal.” A majority of Canadians—62%—also indicated support for retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., calling the move “about right under the circumstances.”

Still, 89% of Canadians expressed concerns that the trade war with the U.S. would affect prices, the poll found—though more than 60% of Canadians said they think the country will eventually come out of the dispute stronger.

As Trump’s approval rating has remained underwater, the Carney government’s increased by four points to 56% in recent weeks, while its disapproval rating has dropped two points to just 29%, according to data shared by the polling firm Abacus Data on Sunday. Approval for Carney individually has also improved recently, with 53% of Canadians having a positive opinion of him and only 28% having a negative view of him. The polling firm said that its findings indicate that “the Carney government’s political standing is built primarily on how Canadians judge its management of the American relationship.”