As much as a small cohort may complain about closer ties with the EU, the government is well aligned with public opinion.
Online, there often appears to be widespread opposition to Canada deepening its ties with the European Union.
Suspiciously, many of the accounts attacking such a move also tend to be pro-annexationist and/or pro-Russia, raising questions about what is really going on there.
Still, there is a loud cohort that, through sheer volume, gives the impression that the EU is unpopular and that Canada should just give up and do what the U.S. Administration demands.
However, public opinion says something very different.
As it turns out, the European Union is far more popular than the United States among Canadians.
According to an Abacus Data poll from March of 2025, 68% of Canadians have a positive view of the EU. 20% express a “very positive” view, while 49% (rounded up), express a “mostly positive” view.
Meanwhile, just 5% express a “very negative view,” while 10% express a “mostly negative” view.
That gives the EU a +53 net rating.
The numbers for the U.S. are quite different.
That same poll shows 34% expressing a positive view of the U.S. (9% very positive & and 25% mostly positive), compared to 60% expressing a negative view (33% very negative, 27% mostly negative).
That gives the US a -26 net rating.
Democracy in action
And so, contrary to some loud online voices, the Canadian government is well-aligned with public opinion in trying to diversify our economic and military partnerships by seeking deeper ties with the European Union.
Something fundamental changed in the minds of a majority of Canadians when the U.S. President started to question our sovereignty and unilaterally abrogated CUSMA. Canadians recognized that ongoing dependence on the U.S. was unwise, and while this dependence cannot be addressed immediately, and will never completely fade (Canada-US trade makes sense for many reasons beyond political disputes), deeper ties to the EU and other friendly jurisdictions is a long-term move to reduce our vulnerability.
Thus, influencers and politicians who try to criticize closer Canada-EU ties are simply out of step with what the Canadian public demands.
Spencer Fernando
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