Trump, tariffs overtake inflation as top concern for Canadians in new poll

OTTAWA — A new poll suggests the trade war with the United States is now the biggest source of political concern for Canadians, knocking inflation out of the top spot.

Leger says 28 per cent of Canadians believe dealing with President Donald Trump’s tariffs and U.S. aggression is the most important challenge facing Canada today.

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The cost of living dropped to second place in the latest polling — with 21 per cent of Canadians ranking it at their top concern — followed by health care and housing affordability.

This is the first Leger poll since August 2022 to report something other than inflation is the top source of political concern for Canadians.

Quebecers and Canadians over 55 years old were most likely to rank tensions with the U.S. as their top concern.

The poll says younger Canadians and Albertans continue to rank inflation as their top source of anxiety.

Voters aligned with the Conservative and Green parties also expressed more concern about inflation than U.S. aggression in the poll.

Because the Leger poll was conducted online, it can’t be assigned a margin of error.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2025.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press