Léger: Amid New Tariffs, Confidence in Carney Holds
Three-quarters of Canadians see Trump's latest tariffs as a threat to the economy, while voters following the dispute most closely express the greatest confidence in the prime minister.
A new Léger poll conducted after Donald Trump's latest tariffs on Canadian goods finds Canadians remain deeply concerned about the economic consequences of the trade dispute. At the same time, a majority still express confidence in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ability to negotiate the best possible outcome for Canada, while favouring retaliation over additional concessions.
Fielded from July 25 to 27, 2026, immediately after President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff announcement, this Léger poll asked its panel how closely they are following the news about trade relations between Canada and the United States: Two-thirds (68%) said they were following closely or somewhat closely, while 30% admitted to not following closely or at all the trade news.
Whether respondents are paying attention to the trade dispute may seem like a secondary finding — a mere measure of awareness. But, as the rest of the survey shows, attention to the issue is strongly associated with confidence in the federal government.
Léger then asked its panel:
How much confidence do you have in Prime Minister Mark Carney to achieve the best possible outcome for Canada in trade negotiations with the United States?
Nationally, 53% of respondents reported having “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the prime minister to reach a fair agreement in these trade negotiations, while 38% sided with “not very much” confidence or “none at all”.
The results translate into a net confidence score of +15—a solid number, though not overwhelming.
Regionally, confidence is strongest in Atlantic Canada (64%), while Quebec (54%), British Columbia (54%) and Ontario (53%) all cluster around the national average.
However, it is not the regional differences that stand out in this table. Léger added to its report the crosstabs of respondents who said they were and weren’t following the news closely, and the difference is much starker than the regionals.
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