
While US President Donald Trump may not have spoken very highly of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following the recent G7 Summit in Quebec, Canadians are pleased with how Trudeau handled – and continues to handle – the situation according to a new Angus Reid poll.
A pair of new studies – conducted before, during, and after the fractious G7 Summit – found that 62% of those surveyed believe that Trudeau has handled his spat with Trump well, and 59% said the Trudeau government’s countervailing tariffs in retaliation to Trump’s on steel and aluminum is the right approach to take.
“Indeed, Canadians overwhelmingly favour taking a ‘hard’ approach toward trade negotiations with the Trump administration going forward, with 70% preferring to risk further angering the President rather than taking a ‘soft’ approach to try to win back and maintain his goodwill (30%),” said Angus Reid in a statement.
“Canadians overwhelmingly find Trump’s reaction to Trudeau’s statements about trade ‘inappropriate,’ with 81% saying he is acting erratically and damaging trust between allies.”
The tougher tone on trade from south of the border is also proving to be a political boon for the Prime Minister.
After a year of continually diminishing approval, Trudeau’s approval rating has jumped 12 points since the last time ARI asked Canadians to assess his performance and has regained the endorsement of a majority of Canadians (52%) for the first time since last fall.