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Canadian Unity : where do things stand?

This special edition of Canadian Issues examines the state of national unity at a moment when Canada is once again confronted by old questions in new forms.

The Supreme Court of Canada at 150

On November 18, 1875, the Supreme Court of Canada was ceremonially inaugurated with a banquet at Rideau Hall hosted by the governor general of the day, Lord Dufferin. He toasted the six newly sworn justices by remarking that the establishment of the high court of the land “marks another epoch in the history of the Dominion; it exhibits another proof and pledge of the stability of our Confederation, and of the solidifying process which has knit into a homogeneous and patriotic community, the inhabitants of what a few years ago were the scattered districts of Great Britain’s North American possessions.” The 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada in 2025 invites reflection on the impact of its most influential rulings, analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, and assessments of its overall role in shaping Canadian society and identity. The occasion also offers a timely opportunity to compare Canada’s top court with that of other countrie – particularly its nearest neighbour, where the U.S. Supreme Court is so deeply enmeshed in partisan politics – and to consider the inherent tensions between political and judicial power in Canada, along with the levels of trust Canadians have in the apex body of their justice system.

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.

Trust Breaking Down in Canada's Political Parties

Trust in Politicians and in the parties/movements and/or ideas they represent is an important indicator/barometer of voter intentions. As revealed in this study, Liberal and Conservatives are near even when it comes to the degree of perceived trust towards them on the part of Canadians but there are important regional differences that help explain prevailing patters of voter intention voter intention to-date. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1631 respondents in Canada over the period April 5 and 6 , 2025.

The Uneasy State Of Canada–U.S. Relations

In this volume of essays, contributors were invited to share their thoughts and insights about the suddenly turbulent relations between Canada and the United States. More specifically, with the distantly historical War of 1812 as a reference point, it was noted that “since then, with some exceptions, Canada and the United States have maintained a long-standing relationship marked by shared borders, important commercial and cultural ties, and vital defence and national security partnerships... But with the reaction sparked by President Trump’s incessant provocations, are we witnessing an important shift in the relationship? What might this change imply for our economic ties, border security and other aspects of our shared future?” The response from our stellar lineup of writers explores all of this and much more. This edition of Canadian Issues/Thèmes Canadiens offers a range of visceral reactions, probing reflections and thoughtful strategizing as Canada’s new Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney – along with provincial and territorial premiers reeling from the imposition of U.S. tariffs on Canadian exports – charts a course through choppy boundary waters.

Canadians and Americans: How We See Each Other and How We See Others

The State of Canadian Nationalism: English Canadians View Nationalism More Favorably than the Country’s Francophones

In 2015, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested his country could be considered the world's first post-national state. In Canadian political debates nationalism is usually thought about as something particular to Quebec. But nationalism remains alive and well in the country largely arising from the recent annexation threat and tariff wars from the US president Donald Trump. The recent rise in pride in being Canadian correlates with a positive view of nationalism as revealed in a survey conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies (March 1 and 2, 2025). And nationalism is seen more positively amongst Canada’s non-francophones than it is amongst Quebec framcophones. The survey further reveals that those seeing nationalism more favorably are far more likely to say they would defend their country against a military invasion. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1539 respondents in Canada over the period March 1 and 2, 2025.

Too many Canadians still think that there are too many immigrants coming to Canada: But skilled workers still viewed favorably

Most experts widely view immigration as critical to Canada’s population growth and its associated social and economic well-being. Immigration accounts for almost all of Canada’s labour force growth, and it is projected that by the next decade, it will account for 100% of the country’s population increase. Canada has a long history of managed migration, balancing economic needs with the importance of family reunification and refugee assistance. In response to significant change in Canadian views on numbers of immigrants admitted to the country, the Federal Government announced in October 2024 a reduction to immigration levels for 2025-2027 from a previous target of 500,000 in 2025 to 395,000, a drop of approximately 20%. A Leger survey for the ACS conducted shortly after the levels reduction revealed no change in public opinion with two-thirds of Canadians still of the view that there were too many immigrants. Fourth months later a new ACS-Leger survey reveals that there has been a modest reduction in the extent to which Canadians feel that there are too many immigrants (65% to 58%) and it remains fair to say that there are still too many Canadians that feel that there are too many immigrants. The survey further reveals some growing uncertainty about the contribution of immigrants whether as it pertains to population increase, economic contribution or other areas. Yet even those Canadians who feel there are too many immigrants continue to value skilled workers, though they assign less value to refugees. Most Canadians agree that Canada is a nation of immigrants yet even amongst those affirming this observation there remains a feeling that there are too many ( in other words it’s a nation of immigrants with too many immigrants).

Housing has is seen as more unaffordable in Canada than it is in the United States

Is it safer to walk the streets at night in Canada or in the United States?

The Interests of my state/ region should take priority over the interests of the country

Perceived gap between rich and poor amongst Americans and Canadians

Canadians more likely than Americans to describe themselves as belonging to the Middle Class

Foreign Fighters: A Review of Recent Findings Through a Canadian Lens

Researching Terrorism and Security: Asking the Right (Follow-Up) Questions

Protest and Free Speech

Understanding what we’re supposed to remember on Remembrance Day : One in four Canadians Say they have very little or no understanding of what happened during World War II

Negative sentiment towards Immigrants in Canada is on the rise

In the month of September the share of Canadians that believe that Canada is admitting too many newcomers attained yet another record with nearly two in three Canadians saying there were too many. Indeed almost no Canadian surveyed feels that there are too few immigrants. Yet another change we’re seeing from previous polling is a sharp rise in negative sentiment towards immigrants increasing by 13 points from May 2024, from 28% holding a negative opinion to 41% in September, A relatively high percentage of Canadians (43%) say they have little or no understanding of immigration policies in Canada. The survey was conducted by the firm Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies over the period September 20-22, 2024 with a sample of 1612 Canadians. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes.

ONLINE HATE AND WHO IS SEEN AS THE MAIN VICTIMS OF HATE CRIMES IN CANADA

Canadians are increasingly observing increases in hate expression online as some three quarters of Canadians believe it is on the rise. For many Canadians the degree of hate expression online is so pervasive that it becomes somewhat banal to Canadians. Hence, some 60% of Canadians ignore the expression of hate when they see it online. With police authorities reporting a considerable increase in hate crimes, we asked Canada in an open format question to name the group that they felt was most likely to be the target of hate crimes. Jews topped the list with 23% of respondents identifying the group as the most likely target while 10% named Muslims who were seen as the second most likely target of hate crimes. There were important differences in perceptions on the basis of gender and age. The survey was conducted by the firm Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies over the period September 20-22, 2024 with a sample of 1612 Canadians.

Online hate and who is seen as the main victims of hate crimes in Canada

Canadians are increasingly observing increases in hate expression on line as some three quarters of Canadians believe it is on the rise. For many Canadians the degree of hate expression on line is so pervasive that it becomes somewhat banal to Canadians. Hence, some 60% of Canadians ignore the expression of hate when they see it on line. With police authorities reporting a considerable increase in hate crimes, we asked Canada in an open format question to name the group that they felt was most likely to be the target of hate crimes. Jews topped the list with 23% of respondents identifying the group as the most likely target while 10% named Muslims who were seen as the second most likely target of hate crimes. There were important differences in perceptions on the basis of gender and age. The survey was conducted by the firm Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies over the period September 20-22, 2024 with a sample of 1612 Canadians.

OCTOBER 7, ONE YEAR LATER

That which follows examines key aspects of Canadian public opinion one year after the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7th.Specifically, Canadians were asked about how they viewed the attack and its perpetrators, with whom they sided in the War between Israel and Hamas, the right to self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians, the prospects for peace, to whom they were more sympathetic in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, their views on Zionism and how they see various communities in Canada. The survey was conducted by the firm Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies over the period September 20-22, 2024 with a sample of 1612 Canadians.

The Majority of Canadians do not identify as settler colonists

For most Canadians, whether born here or elsewhere, the Indigenous-Settler Colonist binary/dichotomy doesn’t appear to reflect the way in which Canadians define themselves. This conclusion is reflected in a survey conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies which reveals that some 47% of Canadians disagree when asked whether they were settler colonists in Canada while some 30% didn’t know and 23% agreed. It’s reasonably safe to conclude that the 30% that didn’t respond simply don’t understand the notion of settler colonialism. Ironically the only group that to a significant extent see themselves as ‘settlers’ are Canada’s francophones who often learned about that they colonized parts of the province a term which in French they equate with settling it. But in this case the question formulation in French gave rise to an interpretation that served to reaffirm a view amongst francophones that they were Canada’s first settlers.

The relationship between religions and a secular society

Trying to Put an Ocean in a Paper Cup: An Argument for the “Un-definition of Religion”