July 4: Canadians not in a celebratory mood when it comes to relations with the United States

July 4, 2025

When it comes to Canada’s relationship with the United States, this July 4th will be very different from the previous one. While there is less talk about making Canada the 51st State of the United States, the imposition of tariffs and the reciprocation by Canada contribute to ongoing tensions between the two countries. A survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies (June 20-22) reveals that there is a high level of distrust of the United States, Canadians are more divided when asked about trust of Americans. And though a majority of Canadians continue to feel unwelcome in the United States, most Canadians regard the Canada and US borders as secure. Most Canadians don’t see the United States as a trusted security and defense partner. A large majority of Canadians believe they’re being fair when it comes to economic engagements with the United States as expressed by the overwhelmingly share that feel that the country’s trade rules with the US are fair while those enacted by United States are not fair. With all this noted, a majority of Canadians continue to believe Canadians have more in common with Americans than any other peoples in the world. A key insight in this survey is the extent to which trust in Americans is an important predictor of views on the relationship as those Canadians harboring greater trust in Americans feel more welcome in the country as see the United States as more of a reliable partner on defense and security. The findings emerge from a survey conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies over the period June 20-22, 2025.with1579 respondents in Canada. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1579 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20.