The U.S. and Canada have a longstanding history of trade, forming one of the largest and closest trade partnerships in the world.
Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect in 1994 (replaced by USMCA in 2020), Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. have enjoyed tax-free cross-border trade of goods and services.
However, this relationship came under threat as U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy. These tariffs were put on hold for 30 days on Feb. 4th, 2025 after discussions between Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau.
To understand the public sentiment toward these tariffs, Abacus Data and GZERO Media surveyed 1,500 eligible U.S. voters, who were asked: “Do you think putting a 25% tariff on all Canadian-made goods imported into the U.S. is a good idea or a bad idea?”. This infographic displays the results of this specific question from survey.
Americans have a net-positive view of Canada, according to the survey. When asked about the U.S.-Canada relationship, over 54% of respondents described it as that of “best friends” or “close friends”.
| Response | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Very good idea | 11% |
| Good idea | 17% |
| Ok idea | 19% |
| Bad idea | 17% |
| Very bad idea | 21% |
| Don’t know enough to say | 15% |
About 38% of the surveyed Americans view the tariffs as a bad or very bad idea. In the same survey, 84% of the respondents also thought that free trade makes both countries better off. Overall, the survey indicates that most Americans are not in favor of the tariffs.
The U.S.-Canada Trade Relationship
The U.S. is by far Canada’s most important trading partner, accounting for 76% of all of Canada’s exports, and 62% of Canada’s imports in 2024.
Similarly, the U.S. exports over $300 billion worth of goods and services to Canada annually, although Canada accounts for a comparatively smaller portion of U.S. international trade.
According to research published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the U.S. levying 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico would cause lower GDP and higher inflation in all three countries. However, Canada and Mexico would be relatively worse off due to their heavy dependence on the U.S. for trade.
The current state of the tariffs is in limbo as they have been delayed from going into effect by 30 days following talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Credit: Visual Capitalist
