Ahead of the Canadian election on April 28, what are Canadians preoccupied with? Is it the consumer carbon tax, the cost of living, Donald Trump’s threats to Canada’s sovereignty, the availability of housing, or something entirely different?
YouGov’s recent survey finds that the top issue for Canadians is U.S.-Canada relations — half (50%) of Canadians say it is one of the three biggest issues facing the country. At least 33% of Canadians name each of housing, inflation, and healthcare. The shares of Canadians citing inflation and healthcare as top-three issues have declined by 7 percentage points each since a May 2024 YouGov poll that offered mostly the same set of options with the notable exception of U.S.-Canada relations.
With U.S.-Canada relations now taking up so much attention, prioritization of several other issues has declined in the past year. Only 14% of Canadians name each of immigration policy and the environment as top-three issues facing Canada, down 4 points and 6 points, respectively, from May 2024. On the other hand, foreign trade has grown as a concern: It has increased to 10% of Canadians naming it a top-three issue from a mere 1% in May 2024.
When the top issues are separated by age group, 43% of 18- to 44-year-olds name housing as a top issue facing Canadians. The second most cited issue by that age group is U.S.-Canada relations, named by 39% — 19 points lower than for Canadians 45+. Inflation also follows closely behind as a top issue for 18- to 44-year-olds, named by 38%. Canadians 45 and older are more likely than younger adults to name healthcare, the Canada Pension Plan, and Old Age Security as top-three issues.
YouGov also asked Canadians which politician they would trust the most to handle some of the top issues facing Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney of the Liberal Party leads Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre by 10 points or more on share of Canadians who trust each one most to handle U.S.-Canada tariffs, foreign policy, and the economy; other party leaders are far behind Carney and Poilievre. For many other issues, including top Canadian priorities such as housing and immigration, Canadians are equally likely to say that they trust Poilievre and Carney.
— Kristin Crawford contributed to this article
See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted March 27 - April 2, 2025 among 993 Canadian adults. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult Canadians. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, education, region, and 2021 federal election vote. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2021 Canadian Census. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3%.
Image: Getty (Danielle Donders)
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