Trade talks between Canada and the United States entered the home stretch with just two days to go before a fresh round of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump hit on Wednesday.
As Canadian officials try to hash out a trade deal with their American counterparts, Canadians are divided on how to respond to U.S. trade aggression, new polling from Abacus Data said on Monday.
Trump has vowed to hit Canada with new sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on a wide range of goods in response to what the U.S. calls “discriminatory” measures, including the boycotts by Canadian provinces of American alcohol, which was a response to the U.S. trade war launched in early 2025.
Similar numbers of Canadians say Canada should either respond with counter-tariffs (36 per cent) or keep negotiating without any counter-tariffs (30 per cent) if Trump’s new round of tariffs go into effect Wednesday.
However, less than one in five (18 per cent) said Canada should “offer concessions to the US, such as ending bans on American alcohol and easing dairy restrictions, if that gets the tariffs removed.”
Canadians are also divided on whether or not Trump will stay the course on his tariffs.
Only 10 per cent of the 1,499 Canadians polled from Aug. 7 to 12 said Trump is likely to reverse course on the tariffs before Wednesday, with one per cent of those saying the tariffs will “definitely not happen.”
Around 12 per cent said they were unsure if tariffs would hit.
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Four in 10 (40 per cent) said there was a “50/50 chance” that Canada could face Trump’s new sweeping tariffs, while a similar number (38 per cent) said they are likely to hit Canada.
Canadians are also bracing for the impact of the tariffs, with 70 per cent saying they will have either a “somewhat negative” or a “very negative” impact on the local economy where they live.
Nearly three in four (74 per cent) said the trade war with the U.S. has already impacted their household finances.
Trump signed three executive orders last month, each one using a different justification for the new tariff: the provincial and territorial boycotts on American alcohol products, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts, and quotas on American dairy imports under Canada’s supply management system.
In early 2025, several Canadian provinces removed U.S. alcohol from their shelves in response to Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the “51st state.”
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Canada-US trade talks continue in Washington ahead of 50% tariff deadline -
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Poilievre says ‘no more concessions’ as Canada-U.S. officials meet ahead of 50% tariff deadline -
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Trade talks continue
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is in Washington, D.C., with Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette.
LeBlanc and Charette worked through the weekend with American officials, including during a virtual meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Sunday.
Canadian officials “seek to reach a comprehensive deal that delivers for businesses, workers, farmers and families on both sides of the border,” LeBlanc’s office said.
Ottawa and Washington are “not close to signing a trade deal” and a “big gap” remains between the two sides, officials told Global News on Friday.
Global News has agreed not to identify the sources because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the trade talks.
Relief for Canada’s softwood lumber industry has emerged as a sticking point in the talks. Two sources said the Americans are not interested in reducing softwood lumber tariffs, which currently sit close to 45 per cent.
Earlier on Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre argued tariffs must be removed on Canadian softwood lumber in any trade deal made.
“It is unacceptable for there to be U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber,” he said during a news conference Sunday. “It’s time for Mark Carney to keep his promise that he would negotiate a win and get the tariffs off Canadian softwood lumber. No more concessions while getting nothing in return.”
— with files from Global’s Mackenzie Gray
U KNOW IT
August 17, 2026 at 7:59 pm
BE NICE TO HAVE A REAL MAN RUNNING CANADA !!! INSTEAD OF THIS YELLOW BELLY, SOFT, WEAK, PUPETT WE HAVE AS A LEADER. WERE TOAST, GOING DOWN QUICKLY ! DOES HE HAVE TESTICLES OR VAG INA ?
Neither, until his wife tells him what he has.
BC is being parceled off with no democratic process to support it. But you want us to be angry with America. For making “threats”
When people realize what you’ve done. The future looks dark, which has nothing to do with America. Canadians will be fleeing to America to escape communism, cause thats what always happens.
Our current government is the enemy of all Canadians, red, blue and orange.
Drop dead.
Keep being mad boomers. This is what conservative politics give you.
Canada needs a slap on the head for everything from Supply Management tariffs to cosying up with China on security issues.
Can’t wait for Trump to lay on the new tariffs and punish Canada
Hilarious. A poll of a thousand people, and they think that speaks for all of Canada. Typical MM… Headline seems good, but when you investigate the facts, they fall apart
Carney is bent on destroying Canada. He needs a bullet in his skull.
Little Canada thinks it can take the USA on in a trade war. Good luck with that…
@PP. Your comment has been flagged and the police will be contacting you soon.They have your ISP.
Trump is doing right for the USA . It seems Canada thinks he is the leader of Canada as Careny is no where to be found.
Trump should be assassinated along with his cronies so the world can recover from his damage! Totally demented felon & rapist! Wake up USA!
Prime Minister CABO ( Carney Always Bends Over ) will give concessions and get nothing for Canada. Then President TACO will get what he wants because our liberal leadership is so weak.
The our Liberal media will still prop up the current government as they have TDS and they will still attack and make the Conservatives look and sound bad as the media is supported by liberals and the snow flakes we have in our country. Canadians really needs to distance to wake up and grow up. We have way too much government in our lives and need to get back to the Canada that we once had but lost in the past 12 years under liberal leadership.
Trump is an amazing President working for American interests. Meanwhile Carney is lining the pockets of him and his cronies. Where is the deal Carney promised over a year ago?
BE NICE TO HAVE A REAL MAN RUNNING CANADA !!! INSTEAD OF THIS YELLOW BELLY, SOFT, WEAK, PUPETT WE HAVE AS A LEADER. WERE TOAST, GOING DOWN QUICKLY ! DOES HE HAVE TESTICLES OR VAG INA ?
That stupid idiot who thinks export tax on energy is a good idea does not understand trade at all.
Canadian energy companies will pay that to the Liberals.
Try and hide a 50% tax in the price and nobody will buy it.
It is a dumb idea.
Maple magas just want to suck up to trump and give the bully everything he asks for.
He isn’t even looking for a fair deal or one that helps both countries, just just wants he ego to be stroked by saying he was good at being a bully to another country.
The other 80% are going to be disappointed when cave-man Carney caves again.
Will he lie to Canadians like he did with the bridge deal?
Translation: 80% of Canadians want Canada to go backrupt. Don’t believe me, then watch what happens to the Canadian dollar once the 50% tariffs come into effect Wednesday.
I officially boycott the USA PERMANENTLY!
NO REASONABLE HUMAN BEING WANTS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT …..the fact Carney is acting like business as usual is telling..
Carney serves only the parasitic rich and is oblivious to what Canadians want….
but then we didn’t elect him, the MONOPOLIZED corporations of Canada did.
We are truly being run into the ground by the corrupt and self serving parasitic rich.
We need an extermination
Buns up
Are they trade negotiators, economists?
No, just emotional blowhards living in a fantasy world where we can sustain our standard of living without free trade with the US.
50 % export tax on all energy and fertilizer
If trump follows through with 50% tariffs then the canadian government need to retaliate with a 50% export tax on all energy , oil and fertilizer
deth to the regime.
Who cares? They gonna pay my bills? Of course not. I do not care what idiots think and if you think the majority of Canadians are not idiots, guess what, you’re one of the idiots.
Canada finding itself in a Sunny Ways socio-economic cesspit was entirely self inflicted, but let’s Elbows Up and blame Trump anyway, eh?
But But But…. Carney gives great speeches….. Elbows up clowns
“less than one in five (18 per cent) said Canada should “offer concessions to the US, such as ending bans on American alcohol and easing dairy restrictions”
Proof that 18% of Canadians are too dim to understand how the Quebec dairy cartel works. Smh.
Dozy Don just wants to distract from loading his poopy-pants in public and the Epstein Files
Our continuing American embarrassment.
Why don’t they take a poll in Alberta and watch that number climb drastically. The level of stupid due to corrupt lying mainstream media brainwashing a wide swath of Canadians is disgusting!!
Zero concessions, trump will rob Canada blind if they are allowed to. Push back hard . No deal is better than a bad deal . Start cutting off fertilizer, then potash , then oil , then gas, then electricity. One at a time , one every month, till Canada gets a fair deal
The federal government literally does not have the authority to do anything about the alcohol “bans” imposed by the provinces.
I’m not expecting any miracles from our side, because at the end of the day, Trump has a bigger gun than we do.
But I’ve got zero interest in voluntarily giving that maniac anything.
We’re told cave-in Carney knows better than everyone else.
Carney is a genius
Lots of stupid people.in Canada
Good. Canadians wanted to go Elbows Up and have a war. USA has agreed and now the USA is going Elbows Up.
Trump needs to be Eliminated!!! Felon & Rapist!! Lock it up!!!
Our negotiating team looks like miss piggy and company