Trump’s Tariffs Loom, But Canadians’ Job Worries Fade
Canadians are shedding their fears of a trade war costing them their jobs, even as U.S. President Donald Trump doubles down with new tariffs. A fresh Leger poll, conducted March 21-24 for The Canadian Press, shows just 38% of employed Canadians are anxious about unemployment in the next year—the lowest since late January. That’s down from a peak of 42% last month and a sharp drop from the 41% recorded last week.
The survey of 1,599 adults comes days before Trump’s latest salvo: a 25% tariff on all auto imports, set to hit April 3. Yet, the job-worry dip suggests Canadians might be tuning out the noise. “It’s like a calming effect is settling in,” said Sébastien Dallaire, Leger’s Eastern Canada VP. “The hard economic hits haven’t landed yet.”
Ontario leads the worrywarts at 44%, while British Columbia is the least fazed at 31%. Quebec (32%) and Alberta (41%) fall in between. Younger adults (18-34) are the most jittery at 47%, compared to 28% of those 55 and up. Men (43%) outpace women (33%) in fretting over jobs.
Bea Bruske of the Canadian Labour Congress sees a silver lining: “Solidarity might be boosting confidence that we’ll weather this together.” Still, with steel and aluminum tariffs already sparking layoffs, she warns the threat “remains real” and calls for bold leadership to shield workers.
Meanwhile, inflation angst is creeping back. A whopping 83% of respondents say prices have climbed recently—up 8 points since mid-March. Dallaire notes that while Trump’s trade war briefly stole the spotlight from affordability woes, “those concerns never left.” With tariffs looming, Canadians may soon refocus on their wallets.