A quarter of Canadians now see the US as an enemy

Canada and the United States are the world's closest allies. However, the ties between these two neighbors are being tested by US President Donald Trump’s political policies. 

Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods imported into the United States and his rhetorical threats questioning Canadian sovereignty have upended Canada-US relations. 

Many Canadians no longer see the United States as a reliable partner, and some even now view the United States as an enemy country according to recent polling data.

According to a poll conducted by the Canadian market research firm Leger between the 14th and 17th of February, 27% of Canadians now see the US as an enemy country. 

Leger reported that Canadians have “mixed views” about the United States. While about a quarter see the US as an enemy country, a similar amount view America as an ally. 

The polling data revealed that 30% of Canadians perceive the United States as an ally while 27% see the country as neutral. Americans still mostly view Canada as an ally. 

“The responses basically speak to the level of animosity that we feel right now in Canada and that are triggering kind of a broader rally-around-the-flag effect in all aspects of our lives,” Leger executive Sébastien Dallaire explained to CTV News. 

Dallaire is Leger’s Vice President for Eastern Canada and told CTV News he was quite surprised “to see Canadians so divided" over whether or not the United States is still an ally. 

The United States “has been an ally for such a long period, and a strong ally at that,” Dallaire explained. However, it was clear from the polling that the growing negative sentiment towards the United States might be driven by the opinions of Donald Trump. 

According to the polling, 56% of Americans consider Canada an ally However, it seems that Canadian opinions of their southern neighbors have begun souring in recent weeks. 

Leger's new survey found that three-quarters of Canadians (74%) hold an unfavorable opinion of Trump while only 13% had a favorable opinion of the US President. 41% of Americans had a favorable opinion of Trump compared to 43% who had an unfavorable opinion. 

Explaining Canadian sentiment isn’t difficult considering Trump’s recent negative policy towards Canada and his continued insistence Canada will become the 51st US state.  

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.