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For as long as anyone can remember, Canada and the U.S. have arguably been the world’s closest of allies and friends. The sibling settler-colonial nations sharing the world’s longest undefended border are deeply linked, culturally and economically, with any differences historically resolved respectfully.
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But as the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump drags on, getting uglier every day, a growing number of Canadians have a very different view of America: our “enemy.”
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New polling by Leger found a strong plurality of Canadians (41 per cent) consider the U.S. an enemy country before an ally or neutral (both at 22 per cent).
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“Donald Trump, man, he can move public opinion like nobody’s business,” Leger vice-president Andrew Enns told National Post in an interview.
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More than half (51 per cent) of those 55 or older perceived the U.S. as an enemy, only 13 per cent of whom see it as neutral. Meanwhile, Quebecers were the Canadians most likely (49 per cent) see the U.S. in that light and the least likely to consider it an ally (17 per cent) or neutral (20 per cent), one of several times an “exclamation point” appeared on some Quebec results.
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Enns said they related to the province’s election this fall, which the Trump factor has unavoidably entered into.
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“It’s helping, I would suggest, some of those federalist parties,” he said. “It’s probably creating some grief for the PQ, the front-runner in that election, as they’re trying to sort of navigate this.”
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Even with the recent sharp movement in how Canadians characterize the U.S, Leger’s results indicate most still distinguish between America the country and the Trump administration ruling it. When asked if his leaving office would change their impression, 64 per cent said yes, 21 per cent said it wouldn’t and 14 per cent were unsure.
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Results indicate Quebecers and women would be most open to a change of heart, with 72 and 71 per cent saying Trump’s departure would alter their impression of the U.S. and only 16 per cent, respectively, saying it wouldn’t change a thing. British Columbians (30 per cent) and men (27 per cent) were the least amenable to a new way of thinking.
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Brian Rathbun, a professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, said that while Canadians may recognize that most Americans don’t support the way Canada’s being treated, it’s important to remember that Americans, simply as a function of their larger economy and population, are somewhat indifferent to Canadians.
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“But at some point, I think Canadians will start to get frustrated if this persists, even if it’s not what the American public wants,” Rathbun told National Post in an interview.
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“They can say, ‘Why is it that no one’s standing up to this particular bully?’ Then I think that you could get into something like a deeper problem that couldn’t be fixed by kicking this guy out.”