With a tariff war and political tensions rising between Canada and the U.S., a new Léger survey suggests a growing number of Canadians are uneasy about crossing the border, and not just for patriotic reasons.
According to data collected from over 1,600 people across the country for the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), more than half of the respondents (52%) said they no longer feel it’s safe for anyone in Canada to travel to the United States. That sentiment is especially strong in B.C. (57%) and the Atlantic provinces (55%). Here in Quebec, 50% of respondents said they feel unsafe heading south, while 34% said they still feel secure.
The numbers also vary by age. Nearly 60% of those aged 55 and up said they’re concerned about safety, compared to 44% of Canadians between 18 and 54.
The survey also revealed that a majority of Canadians don’t feel particularly welcome in the U.S. either. In Quebec, 58% of people agreed with the statement “I no longer feel welcome in the United States.” That’s above the national average of 54%, and one of the highest rates in the country. Only Atlantic Canada reported higher discomfort, with 64% feeling unwelcome.
Older Canadians were also more likely to feel this way — 60% of those aged 55 or older shared this sentiment, compared to 52% of people aged 35 to 54 and 48% of those aged 18 to 34.
The results were published on May 6, just ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first official meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. During that meeting, Trump once again floated the idea of annexing Canada as the “51st state,” and repeated his threats to impose new tariffs.
Carney was quick to shut down the idea, telling Trump, “Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign for the last several months, I can say it’s not for sale and won’t ever be for sale.”
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