A recent Leger poll reveals that 27 per cent of Canadians now perceive the United States as an ‘enemy’ nation.
In contrast, only one per cent of Americans view Canada similarly, with 56 per cent considering Canada an ally.
In Windsor, Ont., a mixed reaction to the survey results, with many suggesting the issue lies with American leadership as opposed to American citizens.
“There’s nothing wrong with the world, only the ones running it,” said Windsorite Dan Lachante.
“There’s nothing wrong with the American people. We’ve been partners and friends for a long time, and I’ve got nothing against them.”
Lachante’s daughter, Cathy Lachante, agreed.
“Honestly, I’m not against the U.S.,” she said.
“I’m against what Trump’s doing. He thinks that he’s doing good, but he’s not.”
While walking along the Detroit River in Windsor, resident Annie Ochel told CTV News U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated tariff threats justify the growing sentiment towards America.
“It’s a scary time right now. So, I can understand it, but I’m still friendly with America,” Ochel explained.
“I kind of always want the best, and I hope that we can make peace again. I don’t know what the future holds, but I think Canadians have a right to be concerned. But seeing the Americans as their enemy? I’m not sure if we should go that far.”
The poll surveyed 1,500 Canadians and 1,000 Americans. Some believe the results highlight a growing divide between public perception in both countries. Analysts said this shift may be linked to political and economic tensions, though the exact reasons remain up for debate.
University of Windsor political analyst Lydia Miljan suggested 27 per cent of Canadians viewing the U.S. as an “enemy” nation was a low figure.
“It seems like quite low actually, considering the threats we’ve been getting from the American president and the reaction that Canadians have had in public,” Miljan said.
“I recall the hockey game last week where we sang proudly the Canadian anthem and then booed the Americans, which is so un-Canadian of us. I think that probably underestimates the rage people are feeling and I don’t know if they’re feeling it against America as a whole, but more specifically against the current president.”
Miljan continued, saying there are jobs at stake and there are concerns about a recession.
“We see this as a really unfair attack on Canada,” she said.
“It’s not as if we did anything to precipitate this. Clearly, Mr. Trump is making stuff up. He’s claiming that there’s massive amounts of drugs coming across the northern border and that we’re bringing it, and that Americans have this onslaught of illegal aliens coming from Canada, which is simply not true.”
She added that people are rightly frustrated because of the uncertainty.
“There’s no point to it and no real reason for him to be attacking such a close ally,” said Miljan.
