Canadians oppose Trumpian policies: poll

OTTAWA • Half of Canadians think Justin Trudeau isn’t doing so well dealing with Donald Trump, says a Broadbent Institute poll released Friday.

Four out of five Canadians feel income inequality is growing, and most are unhappy with policy ideas that would likely align Canada with Trump’s prospective policies, results say.

“The notion that the federal government would align policy or chicken out from the best possible policy because they’re worried that somehow that would run afoul of Trump’s agenda — that’s just not on with Canadians,” said executive director Rick Smith, who is heading up the institute’s Progress Summit, a gathering of about 1,000 progressives in Ottawa this week.

A large majority of Canadians, 77 per cent, have negative opinions of the U.S. president. On issues that “affect Canada and the global community,” only 15 per cent of Canadians think he’s doing a good or excellent job.

A full two-thirds characterized Trump as “a perpetual liar” and 75 per cent report being “pessimistic and worried” about his four-year term.

Only 49 per cent of Canadians surveyed think Trudeau is doing a “good” or “excellent” job dealing with Trump so far, the remainder saying his performance has been “only fair,” “poor” or “terrible.” Still, about 60 per cent say they’re either very or moderately confident that the Canadian government can “effectively represent Canada’s interests in future dealings with the Trump administration.”

In the midst of growing “angst,” as Smith put it, there is immense support for policies perceived to fight economic inequality: 84 per cent support closing corporate tax loopholes; 81 per cent want a new tax bracket for high income earners; 65 per cent would raise corporate taxes back to pre-2008 levels.

Even as Trump proposes massive corporate tax cuts, 65 per cent of Canadians oppose decreasing corporate tax rates (34 per cent of them “strongly”).

Canadians are a little more aligned with Trump on immigration. Only 15 per cent would increase immigration targets in a Trump context; 52 per cent would keep the status quo and 33 per cent would reduce immigration.

Just over two-thirds, or 69 per cent, said they would “screen immigrants for Canadian values as a condition of entry,” an idea floated by Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch. On whether to allow refugees fleeing from the U.S. to remain in Canada, people are split, with 48 per cent saying they’d allow it and 46 per cent saying they wouldn’t.