Poll: Over 70% of Canadians Willing to Accept "Economic Slowdown" in Exchange for "Reduced Dependence on the US"

Survey results released on the 4th by Canadian polling firm Abacus Data show that over 70% of Canadians are willing to accept "slower economic growth" in exchange for "reduced dependence on the United States."

Abacus Data conducted a poll of approximately 3,000 Canadian adults from October 24th to 29th. When asked whether they were "willing to accept slower economic growth in exchange for being more independent from the United States," 71% of respondents agreed, 19% opposed to varying degrees, and another 10% were uncertain.

Furthermore, across all age groups, regions, or political affiliations, more than 50% of respondents within each group were willing to "sacrifice growth for independence."

Abacus Data stated that this "rare consensus" reveals a deep-seated sentiment among Canadians: a desire for "autonomy," even at the cost of the nation's "short-term economic prosperity"; and a hope for "genuine, secure economic development," rather than development that is "fragile and dependent on other countries."

When responding to the question of "whether the Canadian government should promote new trade relationships with other countries or maintain and strengthen ties with the US," 63% of respondents supported the former. This view was most prevalent among those aged 60 and above, reaching 76%. Abacus Data said this result indicates that in the face of political uncertainty from the US government, "enhancing economic resilience" has become a shared demand among Canadians.

Since the beginning of this year, due to US President Trump's tariff measures and remarks about "annexing Canada," the relationship between Canada and the US, close neighbors and traditional allies, has cooled. Canadian Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau stated earlier this year that the traditional relationship between Canada and the US is over, and that Canada must fundamentally reshape its economy in the face of escalating US tariff measures. On the 4th of this month, the Canadian government submitted its first budget to parliament since Trudeau took office in April, proposing strategic investments to enhance economic resilience to cope with global uncertainties like tariff impacts and reduce dependence on the United States.