Poilievre and Carney Lead in Dealing with Trump, Yet Doubts Persist

When asked which potential Canadian leader would be a tough negotiator securing the best deal with President Trump, 28% of Canadians chose Pierre Poilievre, followed by 23% for Mark Carney. However, Poilievre also faces skepticism, as 31% believe he would yield to Trump's demands compared to just 6% for Carney and 4% for Chrystia Freeland. This paradox reflects complex public perceptions, where Poilievre is simultaneously seen as both a strong negotiator and a potential capitulator.

Moreover, Poilievre and Carney are perceived as leaders capable of uniting Canadians for necessary changes to reduce dependency on the US, with 27% and 24% support, respectively. 

Both are also recognized for their ability to implement effective programs to counteract the challenges brought by US tariffs. 
Despite these endorsements, a notable percentage of Canadians do not align with any leader – current or potential - for these roles, indicating some skepticism that any of our leaders are able to deal with the uncertainty of a Trump Presidency. 

Chrystia Freeland trails Mark Carney on every positive metric, highlighting that public-opinion is solidifying around Carney as the person best able to battle Poilievre head on.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between February 21 and 24, 2025, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]

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