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‘Dual-ing’ Citizenship: views on Canadian Citizenship

Although not all countries allow dual citizenship permits one to hold two nationalities at the same time without losing any rights. However, not all countries allow dual citizenship. By becoming a dual citizen or dual national, you can benefit from access to both countries’ social and healthcare services, living in the two countries without any visa restrictions, and holding two passports for global mobility. However, at the same time, you might face legal and tax obligations in both countries. While exact global rankings are difficult to obtain the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and many EU nations have high rates of dual citizenship with Canada reporting 11.2% (3.7M) dual citizens, a high percentage of naturalized citizens (44.7%) having multiple citizenships, and Switzerland around 19% of its population, reflecting strong acceptance. Debates on dual citizenship are rising globally generated by an increase in country acceptance and some recent high-profile legislative pushback in the US and elsewhere. A survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies reveals that younger Canadians and newcomers like the idea of holding dual citizenship. And a plurality of Canadians disagree that dual citizenship results in dual loyalties. The survey also finds that a majority of Canadian born and immigrant would prefer to be citizens of Canada than any other country. Yet on each of the questions regarding citizenship there are some important differences in opinion which to some extent reflect on debates over national identity. Unlike the US where some legislators want to revisit the issue of dual citizenship, thanfully there is no legislator driving such a conversation in Canada. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1723 respondents in Canada over the period December 19-21, 2025.

Trust in Employers, Unions and Co-workers

A high level of trust towards employers and between co-workers is vital in establishing a strong workplace culture and is linked to greater productivity, commitment and job satisfaction. Fostering trust requires strong communication, transparency, and reliability from leadership, alongside consistent effort from employees. An October survey conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies reveals that a majority of Canadians trust employers and co-workers but are less trusting of Labor Unions. Income is an important driver of trust across that spectrum. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1537 respondents in Canada over the period October 24-26, 2025.

Trust in neighbors, my People, ‘other’ people and people in general: East Coast more trusting than the West Coast

In the United States persons under generally persons under 30 are generally regarded as less trusting of other people and institutions. A survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies confirms that younger Canadians are generally less trusting than older persons. But the study also confirms that education, higher income and geographic proximity are drivers of higher overall trust. Atlantic Canadians are most trusting while British Columbians least so when it comes to trust of people in general. Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam has argues that trust, or "social capital," is essential for a healthy and functioning democracy. Low public trust implies weaker social connections and civic engagement. When people trust each other and their institutions, they are more likely to listen, collaborate, and care. Putnam also distinguishes between trust within one’s own ethnic group and trust outside the group as respectively contributing to bonding and bridging forms or expressions of social capital and suggests that bridging is more important in strengthening the democratic fabric. Overall ethnic minorities are most trusting of persons that share their same ethnic background but are not less trusting than others of people in general. Hence contrary to Putnam’s long held theory not all trust operates vertically as a sort of zero sum equation, rather it is often more horizontal with ‘trusting persons’ being generally more trusting across a spectrum of peoples. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1527 respondents in Canada over the period October 29-31, 2025.

Ukrainian Newcomer Survey 2025

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), in partnership with the UCC Charitable and Educational Trust and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, conducted a national survey to better understand and support Ukrainian newcomers in Canada. The survey targeted individuals who arrived from Ukraine within the past ten years, including those who came following the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The primary goal of the 2025 survey was to gather evidence-based insights into newcomers’ settlement experiences, community engagement, and the types of programs and supports that are most valuable to them. This information provides the UCC and partner organizations with the data needed to design, enhance, and evaluate programs that respond to the real needs of newcomers, while also strengthening their integration into Ukrainian Canadian communities across the country.

Federal Budget 2025 : Anything but Business As Usual

Refugee Numbers, Asylum Claims in Canada in near free fall and trust of refugees remains low

Canada's federal government immigration plan for 2026–2028 looks to stabilize permanent resident admissions and curb the numbers of temporary residents that were seen as addressing labor shortages. The plan favors economic immigration while preserving a stable level for family reunification and a targeted allocation for refugees and protected persons (13%), deemed necessary to meet Canada's humanitarian commitments. For the first 8 months of 2025 the percentage of refugees in the overall migration intake was at 12.5% compared with 15% for the first 8 months of 2024. As the percentage of refugees admitted declined, the numbers of asylum claimants has gone into a veritable free fall (see slide 6). As the shift is occurring, the Canadian public exhibits low trust in refugees when compared with economic immigrants and international students. A Leger survey for the Association for Canadian Studies reveals that more Canadians say they distrust rather than trust refugees. Trust of refugees is especially low amongst immigrants. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1537 respondents in Canada over the period October 24-26, 2025.

As the Blue Jays Take Center Stage in the “World’ Series, What Sports are Canadians Currently Watching Most Often?

The Toronto Blue Jays are one win away from winning the World Series and clearly there is much excitement in Toronto, across Ontario and in other parts of Canada. It s all happening at the time of the year when viewers have access to all the major sports whether it is Canada’s national pastime, hockey, CFL/NFL football, NBA basketball, soccer, tennis, etc. To test Blue Jay mania, we commissioned Leger to ask Canadians what sports they re currently watching most often and asked them to share the top two. The results confirm that hockey remains the sport watched by the largest plurality of Canadians. But baseball is ahead of hockey in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, amongst Canadians over 65 and amongst allophones but hockey remains dominant elsewhere. Some 1527 respondents were surveyed by Leger for the ACS from October 24-26, 2025.

Is Canada a Country, Nation and/or Nation of Nations?

Although they’re often used interchangeably there is a difference between the terms nation, state, and country. Country and State are often symmetrical as they tend to apply to self-governing political entities while nation is generally considered a group of people who share the same culture but do not have sovereignty, A multinational state is a sovereign entity that comprises two or more nations or states. This contrasts with a nation state, where a single nation accounts for the bulk of the population. The terms risk generating confusion as many citizens still equate nation with country. While Quebec politicians often refer to Quebec as a single nation it is clear that Quebecers like other Canadians believe that there are many nations within Canada. In July 2022, some 38% of Canadians said there was one nation in Canada when asked the following: “Quebec increasingly refers to itself as a nation as do several indigenous groups. How many nations do you think that there are in the country?” Without the prompt, a September 2025 ACS-Leger found that 52% agreed that there was one nation in Canada when asked “How many nations do you believe there are in Canada?” Underlying these differences is the continued divergence in how the term nation is understood accompanied by a fair degree of confusion as to its meaning. The September ACS-Leger survey emerges in a different context from the July 2022 poll with a unprecedented push for independence by some Albertans. Hence the survey more deeply probes the nation/national identity question by asking which provinces consider themselves nations, desire special status, support separation and think that while Canada is a country it is not a nation. The survey also provides correlations between from the results to examine the impact of nation self-perception in province/region influences views on Canada’s federalist governance

Temporary Migrant Admissions in Canada: What a deeper dive into the numbers tells us about the first half of 2025

A recently released survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (September 25) on opinion on Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW’s) found that against the backdrop of the number of TFWP (P for program) permit holders precipitously increasing in recent years, fully half (52%) of Canadians say they view the program more negatively than positively, compared to one-quarter (23%) who view it in the inverse. Alongside this, Angus Reid points out that 55 per cent say Canada accepts too many TFWs and that a majority of Canadians say the TFWP has a negative impact on the labour market (54%), young workers in Canada (61%) and the housing market (66%). At the same time, they’re twice as likely to agree (58%) than disagree (29%) that these workers are blamed for economic problems that they did not create. These findings likely reflect broader pubic concern about immigration where distinctions between temporary and permanent migrants may not be as relevant to Canadians or well understood as assumed. Also awareness over the distinctions between categories of temporary migrants is likely not high. Recent public conversation has centered upon the TFW program where the larger number of temporary migrants come via the IMP (international mobility program). Additionally, foreign students (study permit holders) are also regarded as part of the temporary migrant stream. For that reason, admission numbers projected by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that address temporary migration also include forecasts for foreign students. Recent calls for the outright elimination of the TFW program need to consider the overall temporary migrant stream, who is coming to the country and in what part of Canada they’re taking up residence.

Most Canadians are poorly informed about the History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Canada’s role

In the many surveys conducted in Canada and abroad about the conflict between Israel and Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza, it is common to ask whether people feel they have a good understanding of the conflict. Leger surveys conducted as recently as June of this year reveal that some 50% of Canadians feel they have a good understanding of the conflict. Generally whether it is Canada or elsewhere such questions are based on self-assessments of said knowledge and not on one’s actual ability to correctly answer basic questions that help us understand the current situation. As a way to better evaluate historic knowledge about the conflict and Canada’s role Leger marketing was commissioned to conduct a survey for the Association for Canadian Studies which asked basic questions on the history of the conflict and on Canada’s role in that regard. The survey reveals that the majority of Canadians are either unable to answer questions that are key to knowledge of the origins of the conflict or answer incorrectly. For example Canadians incorrectly think that between 1948 and 1967 Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza when in fact it was Egypt and Jordan. They incorrectly believe that during the second World War, Canada was open to the admission of Jewish refugees. Amongst other responses the survey raises questions about Canadians and for that matter broader capacity to make informed assessments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the absence of proper knowledge of the background to the conflict. The findings are based on surveys conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between October 5 and 7, 2025 with 1564 Canadians.

On Thanksgiving Canadians will be far more likely than Americans to be thankful for the lesser influence of religion on their society

On October 13, Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving, an annual celebration meant to honor life’s blessings while spending quality time with close family and friends. Both in Canada and the United States, the origins of Thanksgiving are based in religion, Canada’s version of the holiday was initially created to express thanks for explorers’ safe voyages into the New World. When it comes to issues of identity one of the profound differences between Canada and the United States is the respective extent to which they value religion and see it as having a positive or negative impact on society. The difference is not without significance for politics, social policy and relations between groups in countries that traditionally like to describe themselves as separating Church from state. To examine the extent of that gap between the two countries regarding the value assign to religion, the Association for Canadian Studies commissioned Leger to ask Americans and Canadians about whether religion positively influenced societal values. America’s broad commemoration to the memory of Charlie Kirk in the aftermath of his assassination was in part an indication of the importance of religion in the United States. On the other hand, Quebec’s continued fervor in seeking additional ways of restricting religion expression in public spaces is example of the perceived negative influence of religion on society. The findings are based on surveys conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and 31, 2025 with 1627 Canadians and 1014 Americans. While no margin of error can be associated with a non-probability sample of 1627 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.52%, 19 times out of 20 while 1014 of ±3.95%, 19 times out of 20

Recognition of Palestinian state does little to modify Canadians dim view of prospects for Peace between Israelis and Palestinians

The findings are based on surveys conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between October 5 and 7, 2025 with 1564 Canadians. While no margin of error can be associated with a non-probability sample of 1564 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.52%, 19 times out of 20

Housing and the Migration Crisis

The issue of housing has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges in Canada today, intersecting powerfully with questions of migration, settlement, and cohesion. At a time when global displacement is reaching unprecedented levels, Canada remains a destination of choice for those seeking safety, opportunity, and a sense of belonging. Yet, as this edition of Canadian Diversity makes clear, the promise of protection and integration cannot be realized without addressing the housing situation often encountered by newcomers as well as established communities. The contributions in this volume reveal the many layers of the problem. They examine refugee resettlement and the disparities that shape access to shelter, the lived experiences of asylum seekers navigating precarious housing markets, and the systemic barriers that affect both migrant and Indigenous communities across the country. The perspectives presented here draw from research, policy, health, and community practice, highlighting the vital role played by local organizations and service providers in filling critical gaps. Housing is not only about buildings or markets. It is a cornerstone of dignity, security, and well-being. Without stable homes, integration efforts stall, health outcomes decline, and social divisions deepen. At the same time, the ideas and initiatives presented in these pages remind us that solutions are within reach when we approach housing as a shared responsibility and a collective right.

How Systemic is the perception about systemic racism in Canada?

Systemic racism (also known as institutional racism) is when the societal rules and ways of operating are persistently unfair for certain people because of their race. Non-white persons often face difficulties as a result of systemic racism. There have been while systemic racism is something that happens on a large scale in society. It is racism in the system, in the way things are done. There can be systemic racism in laws, in institutions like schools, hospitals and policing/security. There have been numerous calls on the part of civil society in Canada for governments and various institutions to acknowledge their systemic racism. Some have indeed done so while others have been reticent wanting to have some benchmark or baseline against which to document its existence in a given institution. To provide further insight, we also asked whether Canadians had observed evidence of systemic racism in their province. The results vary across provinces, selected identity markers and other demographics. The findings are based on surveys conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and 31, 2025 with 1627 Canadians.

Does Canada belong primarily to Indigenous Peoples? A question that divides Canadians

Indigenous peoples in Canada have hereditary rights which include self-government, title to land, property rights and treaty rights. While the Canadian government and courts recognize these rights, their specific nature and extent may vary and are the object of ongoing debate. There is also an increased acknowledgement that Canadians are on the historic lands of the First Nations. What do such acknowledgements imply as regards the perceived attachment of indigenous peoples to Canada. To mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Association for Canadian Studies commissioned the firm Leger to ask whether “Canada belongs first and foremost to Indigenous peoples” The answer reflected profound differences on the basis of age (young persons agreed, older disagreed), Immigrant status, students and retirees, ideological preference and views/knowledge of Canadian history. The findings are based on a survey conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and 31, 2025 with 1627 Canadians.

Canada’s complex views on immigrant Integration and the rising concerns about security in newcomer admission

As reflected in several public opinion surveys, the persistent pushback over the numbers of immigrants coming to Canada is often associated with concerns over the state of the economy, housing availability and the pressure migrants presumably exert on availability and access to services. There is also continued debate about whether immigrants are negatively impacting cohesion and to that end whether integration of newcomers is not achieving its desired end-however defined. Conversations regarding immigrant integration can be somewhat vague. In effect, Canadians are divided when asked whether immigrants should give up their customs and traditions and become more like the majority (an issue that even divides immigrants). Yet ironically, the vast majority of Canadians agree that the It is important to pass on our customs and traditions to future generations. Concern with the numbers of immigrants is thickening according to a recent survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies. The survey reveals that underlying the reticence over both numbers and newcomer integration are security concerns the extent of which needs further study. The study concludes with a comparison between Canada and the United States on the issue of immigrant integration which paradoxically suggests that Americans are far less concerned than Canadians about immigrants giving up their customs and traditions and adopting those of the majority. So much for Canada describing itself as the mosaic and the US as the Melting Pot.

Blaming the Victim: A significant minority feel that Jews are to blame for the prejudice they face

Redirecting blame for prejudice onto the victims is frequently heard in the justification for discriminatory acts. It is sometimes expressed via dangerous generalizations about the group with which victims are identified. The rational provided for such behavior may serve as a means to avoid accountability for one’s own prejudice. Religious, ethnic and other minorities are often the targets for what is sometimes referred to as victim-blaming, which represents another layer is society’s complex fight against racism and anti-Semitism. The Association for Canadian Studies commissioned the firm Leger Marketing to ask Canadians whether they think Jews are often to blame for any acts of prejudice they face. It found that over one in four Canadians agree that Jews are often to blame with the view being held more widely in Quebec. The same question was put to Americans and it revealed a lower percentage (17%) agreed with the statement. The findings are based on surveys conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and 31, 2025 with 1627 Canadians. The findings for the US survey also conducted via web panel by the firm Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and 31, 2025 with 1014 Americans.

The Evolving Role, Challenges, and Contributions of International Students

The essays in this collection examine the changing place of international students in Canada at a time of major policy reversal, declining foreign student reductions as part of a wider public debate around immigration levels. Together, the student number reductions have demonstrated the importance of their contribution to the sustainability of Canada’s higher education ecosystem, not only because of the tuition revenue they generate, but also because of their representation in various labour markets, community life, and Canada’s long-term demographic strategy. At the same time, the essays reveal a troubling contradiction: international students have been recruited, welcomed, and financially relied upon by governments and institutions, yet many have experienced financial precarity, discrimination, housing insecurity, mental health strain, employment barriers, gendered vulnerability, and uncertainty about whether Canadian education will still function as a pathway to permanent residency. The collection of essays thus asks not only what has happened to international students in Canada, but also who bears responsibility for the instability now facing students and institutions alike.

Twenty four Years after 9-11: What do canadians think about the threat of terrorism?

September 11, 2025 marks 24 years since the terrorist attacks in the United States that took the lives of nearly 3000 people. Those barbarous acts had important ramifications and were the catalyst for 21st century domestic and foreign policies addressing the threat of terrorism. What are the views of Canadians and Americans around the threat of terrorism and the key questions and issues to which it has given rise? To provide insights into this, the Association for Canadian Studies asked Leger Marketing to survey Canadians and Americans on seleted relevant issues arising from the terrorist attacks. Here are some of the key takeaways from the survey of Canadians: - The vast majority of Canadians say that they have a good knowledge of the events of September 11th - Most Canadians believe the threat of terrorism in Canada is currently increasing - Nine in ten Canadians agree that acts of terrorism can never be justified though one in five Canadians under 25 disagree - More than two-thirds of Canadians think that Canada should cooperate more closely with the United States in efforts to prevent terrorism Leger conducted the survey via web panel for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and 31, 2025 with 1627 Canadians and 1114 Americans. and a sample of 1114 respondents yields a margin of error of ±3.9%, 19 times of our of 20.

English-Spanish Bilingualism in the United States and English-French Bilingualism in Canada and the overall state of dual language Knowledge in the two countries

Driven by an expanding Spanish-speaking population, the United States is becoming increasingly bilingual and has more Spanish speakers than Spain. The language is increasingly heard in the public domain, commerce and education making for ever growing linguistic diversity. The Hispanic or Latino population in the United States was estimated to be approximately 20% of the total U.S. population in July 2024, with an estimated 68 million. In Canada, some 21% of the population had French as their first official language spoken representing some 8 million persons. The percentage of English-French bilinguals in Canada is higher than the share of English-Spanish bilinguals in the US as the non-French population of Canada is more likely than the non-Hispanic population to respectively speak French and Spanish. While Canada is the more bilingual of the two countries, there is considerable regional variation in rates of bilingualism as revealed in a new study issued by the Association for Canadian Studies and Metropolis Americas. According to the report, some 22% of Americans are able to hold a conversation in both English and Spanish (the combined number of Hispanics able to hold a conversation in English with combined number of non-Hispanics able to hold a conversation in Spanish) compared with about 29.5% that say that they are able to hold a conversation in both English and French in Canada. Amongst American non-Hispanics, about 9% say they are able to hold a conversation in Spanish compared with 21% of Canada’s non-francophones able to hold a conversation in French. There is however considerable regional variation in the two countries in rates of English-French bilingualism in Canada versus English-Spanish bilingualism in the US. Finally the study suggests that there is little evidence of financial incentives for English-Spanish bilingualism in the US whereas there does appear to be some advantage for English-French bilinguals in Canada

Are we Peace-Keepers: to what extent do Canadians feel directly affected by global conflicts?

Some Canadians have described peace-keeping is an important feature of our identity. This view has persisted despite a decline in active peacekeeping contributions since the late 1990s. It arises from the legacy of significant involvement in UN missions some decades ago. Given the state of global conflict notably in Russia and the Ukraine and Israel and Gaza it is worth asking whether Canadians would be willing to send peacekeepers to those areas in the event they would be needed. Underlying that question is the extent to which Canadians feel directly affected by the conflicts. To provide insights the Association for Canadian Studies asked Leger Marketing to survey Canadians on these matters. In that regard, -A majority of Canadians agree with sending peacekeepers to the region in the event of an agreement between Russia and Ukraine -A majority of Canadians oppose the idea of sending peacekeepers to the region in the event of an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians -A majority of Canadians agree that they feel less directly affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine than do Europeans and Americans; younger Canadians feel much less affected than older ones -A majority of Canadians say they feel less directly affected by the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians than do Americans. Two-thirds of Canadians 18-24 say they feel less affected Leger conducted the survey via web panel for the Association for Canadian Studies between August 29 and August 31, 2025.

Immigration Trends in Canada: What a deeper dive into the numbers tells us about the first half of 2025 --Part1--Permanent Residents and Asylum claims

Last October 2024, the Government of Canada announced a reduction to its permanent immigration targets to align with the country’s economic needs from 500,000 down to 395,000 in 2025; from 500,000 to 380,000 in 2026; and setting a target of 365,000 in 2027. With respect to the breakdown by categories, the economic category remained by far the largest proportion of admissions to reach some 62% by 2027. Support for family reunification continues through the family category, which maintains a rate of 22% of overall permanent resident admissions. Canada’s strong and proud tradition of offering protection to those most in need is evident through the sustained targets for Government Assisted Refugees, which contributes to the resettled refugees and protected persons category rate of 15% of overall permanent resident admissions. 21,200 admissions are provided to commitments made on humanitarian and compassionate grounds over three years (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/supplementary-immigration-levels-2025-2027.html) Meeting these targets is not simple given the need to account for regional priorities, pre existing commitments and other considerations. That which follows will look at the immigrant admission numbers as issued by immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada for the first two quarters of 2025 (January 1 to June 30th ) and the initial adjustments that were made. On the basis of the IRCC data we will compare with the admission numbers for the same two quarters over the period January 1-June 30th, 2024. There has been much speculation about whether the Government of Canada will reach the targets but much less attention directed at how it will go about doing so and what categories of immigrants will be most affected, what regions of the country will feel the impact and how the numbers in immigrant countries of origin will shift accordingly. As we observe the cuts to immigration levels have thus far have unevenly affected the admission numbers of refugees and protected persons. To that end, we’ve added analysis of the evolving numbers of asylum claimants from the IRCC data with a view to sharing further insights into how accepted refugee levels may shift yet further.

American opinion on the Ukrainian-Russian war and the prospects for lasting peace

This Friday August 15, President Trump will meet with Vladimir Putin to look at ways to end the war in Ukraine. There is widespread global skepticism over the prospects for Friday’s summit leading to a deal that is not highly unfavorable to Ukraine, Kyiv and its European allies. Over four in ten Americans are closely following the war between Russia and Ukraine according to a poll provided to the Metropolis Institute by the firm Leger USA that provides important insights into American views of the war between Russia and Ukraine and how Americans views prospects for lasting peace between the two countries. The survey was conducted by the firm Leger USA over the period June 6-8, 2025 with 1011 respondents.

Canadian and American opinion on the Ukrainian-Russian War

This Friday August 15, President Trump will meet with Vladimir Putin to look at ways to end the war in Ukraine. There is widespread global skepticism over the prospects for Friday’s summit leading to a deal that is not highly unfavorable to Ukraine, Kyiv and its European allies. The war in Ukraine continues to intensify as Russia increases its military pressure and as international attention risks drifting the country’s need for Western support, both political and material, appears all the more critical. How do Americans and Canadians view Russia’s war on Ukraine? That which follows provides insight into these issues via an ACS (Association for Canadian Studies) detailed analysis of a survey conducted by Leger Marketing over the period June 6-8, 2025.with1511 respondents in Canada and 1011 in the United States. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1511 respondents in Canada would have a margin of error of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20 and a sample of 1011 respondents in the US a margin of error of ±3.08%, 19 times out of 20.