Canada Proud … With Reservations: POLL

07/01/2025

There may be more white and red on display this Canada Day, as a Donald Trump-driven boost to national pride and optimism about the nation’s future continues.

But the midway point of the year after a federal election campaign and the celebration of the nation’s 158th birthday is a good time to ask, “what does Canada have to offer?”

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians more united in pride.

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This is a poll from the non-profit Angus-Reid Institute

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But while seven-in-10 (72%) say that Canada offers a good quality of life, 23 per cent – one-quarter – disagree. This rises to 42 per cent among those who supported the Conservative Party in the April federal election, signalling that despite recent cooperation between the party and the government, those divisions likely run deeper than an early-term assistance may indicate.

Those who are in middle of their working lives, 35- to 54-year-old Canadians, are more likely than younger (22%) and older (19%) groups to also feel this way, with 28 per cent saying the country doesn’t offer a good quality of life.

Further, as sociologists, economists, and politicians attempt to figure out ways to reverse the country’s tanking fertility rate, younger people are also least certain that Canada is a good place to start a family. The news isn’t all bad, as a majority of 18- to 34-year-olds still choose the optimistic view on this question (60%), but three-in-10 (27%) disagree. Among retirement age Canadians, for whom those families and lives have already been built, four-in-five (79%) say Canada is a great place to do so.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to focus on one of the government’s foremost goals of getting Canada’s economy moving, the business environment is clearly a concern for the country. Fewer than half (45%) say that Canada is a good place to start a business, dropping to two-in-five in B.C. (39%), Alberta (39%), Saskatchewan (40%), and Ontario (41%).

Perhaps momentum is building, however, for a better future. In December of last year ARI asked Canadians whether they’re optimistic or pessimistic about what’s in store for the country. The negative responses outweighed positive by 22 points, 39 per cent optimistic, 61 per cent pessimistic. Asked now, more than half (56%) are positive and 44 per cent are negative.

More Key Findings:

Half of Canadians say it would be inaccurate to call Canada a country where “everyone has the same opportunities”. Those 55 years of age and older are much more likely than those younger to say that this is the case.
Ontario and Atlantic Canada show the most pride in being Canadian. Half in each region are “very proud”. Albertans are most likely to say they’re not proud (28% vs 18% national average)
Alberta is the only region in the country that does not voice majority optimism for Canada’s future (47%). Manitoba (61%), Quebec (61%), and Atlantic Canada (65%) are most optimistic.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/