Poll: 56% of Canadians want tough U.S. trade stance, but only 46% of Albertans agree
A new Leger survey finds Albertans are the least likely of any province to back a hard-line approach to trade talks with Washington, even as new U.S. tariffs on $28 billion in Canadian goods loom.
Why it matters
Alberta's energy exports could become a bargaining chip in trade retaliation, even though the province's own leadership and residents show less appetite than other Canadians for confrontation with Washington.
A Leger poll released as new U.S. tariffs on $28 billion worth of Canadian goods were set to take effect finds 56 per cent of Canadians want Ottawa to hold firm and make no more concessions in trade negotiations, while about a third favour flexibility. Albertans, at 46 per cent, were the least supportive of a hard-line stance among all regions surveyed, while Quebec residents and women were most supportive.
The poll, conducted online with 1,622 respondents between Aug. 15 and 17, found 38 per cent of Canadians see the federal government's approach as passive and only 15 per cent call it aggressive. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief negotiator Janice Charette have been in Washington trying to head off the latest tariffs.
On retaliation, 70 per cent of Canadians backed a special tax on oil and gas exports to the U.S., a measure Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has opposed alongside Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, unlike Ontario Premier Doug Ford who has pushed for it. Despite Smith's stance, 58 per cent of Albertans surveyed said they supported such an export tax. Three-quarters backed a tax on electricity exports and 64 per cent supported banning U.S. liquor sales, a measure already in place in eight provinces.
Canadians showed little appetite for concessions: 46 per cent supported opening air travel to U.S. carriers, 38 per cent backed greater U.S. telecom access, and just 26 per cent favoured loosening dairy supply management. The talks come amid uncertainty over CUSMA, after the Trump administration declined in July to extend the pact, triggering a review period during which the deal could eventually expire without agreement among all three countries.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.