While personal finances remain the primary driver of public sentiment in Canada, a sharp rise in anxiety regarding cross-border relations has emerged as a major national concern, according to the latest weekly data from Nanos Research.
Employment and economic performance continue to sit at the forefront of unprompted public priorities at 20.2%, staying relatively steady compared to 21.1% four weeks prior. Inflation worries edged up slightly to 11.3% over the same period
The most dramatic shift in the survey focuses on Donald Trump and Canada–U.S. relations, which nearly doubled to 14.9%—up from 8.1% in late July. The sudden surge has displaced traditional priorities such as healthcare and environmental protection, which both fell to 6.1%, making trade and international relations the second most frequently cited issue nationwide.
Despite mounting economic and diplomatic anxieties, political preferences remain stable. The governing Liberal Party maintains a commanding 14-percentage-point lead over the opposition on federal ballot tracking.
The figures are drawn from the weekly Nanos Tracking report, produced by Nanos Research Corporation through random telephone sampling across Canada. Findings are based on a four-week rolling average of 1,000 Canadian adults (18 and older), with 250 new respondents added each week as the oldest cohort drops off. Results are weighted using the latest Canadian census data.
