American Voices: what they really think about Trump's tariffs on Canada

Canada and the U.S. have a long-standing, amicable relationship. But with Donald Trump making a comeback, it seems like things might be shifting a bit, which could change how the world views Canada.

Trump has always been tough on Canada, and his second term looks like it will be no different. One of the President's first big policy promises came weeks before he was inaugurated and it focused directly on Canada. 

While riffing on Truth Social in late November 2024, Trump promised to levy a blanket 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico until both countries addressed the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants crossing their borders. 

Whether or not Trump’s cited reasons for placing a huge blanket tariff on Canada made sense has been hotly debated by experts and politicians on both sides of the border. However, the fierce debating didn’t stop him. 

On February 1st, Trump put into place his promised 25% tariff and it was set to go into effect on February 4th. Canada's response was quick. It levied its own tariffs on billions of dollars in goods and a truce was reached. 

Polling from just before Trump made his tariff announcement from the Canadian public opinion and market research firm Abacus Data found that most Americans didn’t like the tariffs Trump planned to place on Canada. 

“One of the clearest findings is that an overwhelming majority (86%) believe Canada and the United States are allies. Similarly, 84% accept that free trade between the two countries generally makes both better off,” Abacus Data explained. 

“Yet alongside this goodwill, 56% also believe that Canada benefits ‘way more’ from free trade with the U.S. By seeing Canada as the bigger winner, many Americans could be more inclined to back tariffs meant to ‘rebalance’ perceived inequalities,” Abacus Data added. 

When US respondents were asked if they thought a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the United States was a good idea, 11% said they thought it was a “very good idea” and a further 17% said it was just a “good idea”. Putting the total at 28%. 

Interestingly, 17% thought a blanket tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the US was a “very bad idea” while 21% thought it was just a “bad idea”. This put the total of those who thought the tariffs were a bad idea at 39%. 

A further 19% of Americans thought the 25% blanket tariff on Canadian imports was an “Ok idea” while 15% said they didn’t know how to answer the question. Fortunately, Trump's tariff never actually went into place. 

Canada agreed to give Trump some concessions and Trump agreed to halt his tariffs on Canada for 30-days. However, one week later, Trump placed a blanket 25% tariff on all global steel and aluminum imports into the United States. 

The Trump administration didn’t provide a carveout for Canada despite the President’s promise to halt his tariffs on the country for 30 days. This angered many in Canada but the ramifications of Trump’s actions have yet to be seen. 

According to CBC News, Canada is the biggest supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, providing nearly a quarter of US steel imports ($15.9 Cdn in 2024), and almost 60% of US aluminum imports. 

Trump’s new 25% tariff on steel and aluminum isn’t set to go into effect until March 12th, so there is still lots of time for Trump to provide a carveout for Canadian-supplied steel and aluminum, but this might be wishful thinking. 

The President has already threatened that his 25% steel and aluminum tariffs would be stackable on other tariffs on Canadian goods according to CTV News. Trump has also claimed he may place a 100% tariff on Canadian cars during a recent Fox News interview. 

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