Majority of Canadians would boycott U.S. good & travel: Nanos survey

A majority of Canadians are concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that a trade dispute with his country will cost Canadians “a lot of money,” according to a new survey conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News and The Globe and Mail.

The survey also found that many Canadians would be willing to respond to a trade war by boycotting U.S. goods and retailers, avoiding travel to the U.S., and supporting government aid for impacted Canadian steel, aluminum and automotive firms.

Canada’s $16.6 billion slate of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods officially kicked in on Canada Day — a 25 per cent surtax on more than 100 U.S. steel and aluminum products, and a 10 per cent surtax on more than 70 other categories of goods. It’s Ottawa’s response to Washington’s steel and aluminum tariffs on shipments crossing the U.S. border.

The majority of Canadians said they are likely (43 per cent) or somewhat likely (29 per cent) to boycott U.S.-made goods if there is a trade war between the two countries. Twenty-six per cent said they are either somewhat unlikely (10 per cent) or unlikely (16 per cent) to do so. Two per cent said they are unsure.

That anxiety was found to be strongest in Quebec (73.8 per cent), where exports to the U.S. accounted for 70 percent of the province’s total in 2017.