Canadians say their relations with Washington are only as bad as ties with Moscow, in line with a survey that means an openness to improving links with China and particularly Mexico.
Just 16 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Leger say Canada has an excellent relationship with the U.S., in comparison with 15 per cent for ties with Russia.
Meanwhile, 36 per cent of Canadians say Ottawa has an excellent relationship with Beijing, while the number ranks higher than 75 per cent for ties with Mexico, the European Union and the U.K.
“When Canadians give their relationship with america such a very horrible evaluation, it’s largely attributable to our expectations about that relationship, that are generally considerably higher” than the present situation, said Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies.
“To see it hit that level where we evaluate our relationships with america as badly as we do our relationship with Russia — and assess our relationships with China higher than our relationships with america — is de facto mind-boggling.”
Leger Marketing surveyed 1,603 people from April 17 to 19 for the Association for Canadian Studies. It may not be assigned a margin of error since it was a panel survey.
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Jedwab said virtually all of those sentiments might be attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump threatening Canada’s sovereignty and economy, in addition to those of other regions.
“Donald Trump has done more to unify Canadians than any leaders because the post-Confederation period,” he said.
The survey comes after Ipsos polling done exclusively for Global News has shown the Canada-U.S. relationship is seen because the third-most vital issue facing the country, with 11 per cent of Canadians who were surveyed rating it as their top priority.
In one other Ipsos poll published in February, 68 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they think less of the U.S. as a rustic and two-thirds said they will likely be avoiding purchasing U.S.-made goods and travel down south going forward.
Jedwab said it’s notable that Canadians see themselves as having very strong ties with Mexico, just months after politicians like Ontario Premier Doug Ford sought to distance Canada from Mexico on issues like fentanyl trafficking and migrants.
“There’s a perception amongst Canadians that we’re coping with a number of the same challenges as Mexico is, when it comes to our respective most vital ally,” Jedwab said.
This week, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Wang Di told The Canadian Press that Beijing is offering to form a partnership with Canada to thrust back against American “bullying.” He suggested the 2 countries could rally other nations to stop Washington from undermining global trade rules.
“It’s showing some potential for reordering,” Jedwab said, though he cautioned he wasn’t sure how much that may be possible with China.
“If you’re often in these form of global conflicts, it’s essential to barter or attempt to reconcile with countries that you could be at odds with.”
Jedwab said Canadians rank the state of relations with other countries based on their expectations. For China, the statistics suggest Canadians expect strain in relations with China but might see a chance to enhance the situation, given how low it has been lately.
That’s also why respondents in Alberta and British Columbia ranked relations with Beijing as being particularly bad, as a lot trade with China comes from those provinces.
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Mark Carney recently described Beijing as “the largest security threat to Canada” while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has long described Beijing as an autocracy that disrupts the world order.
“You can have a positive relationship with a rustic and still feel the connection is bad,” Jedwab said, arguing whoever is elected prime minister next week may have a rustic wanting a greater relationship with the U.S.
“We’re going to need to channel this into something constructive.”
-With files from Global News’ Ari Rabinovitch
© 2025 The Canadian Press
