As Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to unveil his first federal budget this week, Canadians appear almost perfectly divided on a key question — should the government invest in growth or tighten spending to cut the deficit?
A new Nanos Research survey conducted for CTV News reveals a near deadlock: 47% of Canadians want Ottawa to run a deficit to fund programs and investments, while 48% believe the priority should be balancing the budget to ease the tax burden. Just 5% remain unsure.
The findings mark a sharp shift from pre-pandemic attitudes, when a majority — 55% — preferred balanced budgets over deficit spending. But as the economy faces renewed pressure, with GDP slipping in August, Canadians seem more open to temporary red ink if it means job creation and stronger infrastructure.
“We’re at a point in time where a deficit, at least in the short term, is seen as being more acceptable than it has been in the past,” said Nik Nanos, founder of Nanos Research. He cautioned, however, that this doesn’t mean Canadians are giving the government “carte blanche” to spend freely, but rather acknowledging the need for targeted investments in growth and jobs.
The survey also reveals shifting public priorities. Health care remains Canadians’ top concern at 30%, though that number is down from 49% in 2023, when nearly half the country cited it as the key issue. Rising concerns about housing affordability (12%), inflation relief (6%), defence spending (5%), and tariff relief (4%) have climbed into the national conversation — areas absent from last year’s survey.
“I think people are focused on paying rent, buying groceries, and keeping their jobs,” Nanos explained. “Canadians don’t want cuts to health care right now, but they do want long-term investments — especially in roads, jobs, and infrastructure — to help the economy pivot and become less reliant on the U.S.”
The poll comes just days before Carney’s government tables its much-anticipated 2025 federal budget, expected to mix new infrastructure and defence investments with a promise to gradually restore fiscal balance. Carney has already signaled he’s willing to go to an election over the budget if opposition parties reject it, calling it “the right plan for the country at this moment.”
The Nanos survey, based on interviews with 1,045 Canadians conducted between October 27 and 30, carries a margin of error of ±3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 — a reminder that, as Ottawa readies its fiscal blueprint, public opinion is almost perfectly split between spending for today and saving for tomorrow.