A new poll finds two-thirds of Canadians are solidly behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to transition away from a Trump tariff-impacted economy towards new opportunities and ventures. The same poll also finds Canadians remain patient with the pace of his provincial and regional infrastructure agenda and are inspired by his international leadership.
The CityNews/Canada Pulse Insights poll shows 67 per cent of those asked agree the Prime Minister is doing a good job of diversifying and building Canada’s economy, with support strongest in Quebec (72 per cent), followed by Atlantic Canada (69 per cent) and British Columbia (68 per cent).
What is interesting is that similar strong support is felt in places where the Liberal party has not been viewed favourably in the past, with 66 per cent of Albertans and 60 per cent of those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba agreeing with the Prime Minister’s approach.
“I’ve been doing polling for 37 years across this country, and it’s rare that you would see, especially in the last 25 years, the Liberals as high as they are in dominant, Conservative areas,” said John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights.
“What’s fascinating about this is that even among the group that is willing to vote for the Conservatives in the next election, they are actually admiring this Prime Minister. And that I think it is because Mr. Carney has projected a right-of-centre approach.”
Delivering on provincial needs
Two-thirds of Canadians believe Carney is listening to their premier and delivering what their province or region needs, and a similar 63 per cent are comfortable with the current pace of the Prime Minister’s “shovels in the ground” agenda, noting that “these things take time.”
“Even though the opposition members have said ‘we want shovels in the ground’ and ‘where are the results’, two-thirds of the population is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt,” explained Wright.
“We’ve been in this Prime Ministership for about a year now, but he’s managed to do the key touchstones along the way. It’s not just about doing deals, but it’s advancing the proposition that he’s listening to what needs to be done.”
Working with world leaders
Prime Minister Carney also scores high with Canadians when it comes to his presence among world leaders, with seven-in-10 expressing how proud they are of how he is representing Canada on the world stage, particularly following his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month. While his Jan. 20 address to global leaders drew a direct rebuke from U.S. President Trump, it was widely praised by leaders around the world and here at home.
“I think part of this is Canadians were desiring to have an adult in the room to deal with, not only Donald Trump, but also to have someone who could communicate and work with world leaders in order to make this adjustment,” said Wright.
“The reality is that Canadians feel really good that they have somebody who’s not only working on their behalf but knows how to get things done on that world stage and appears to be making all the right decisions.”
Affordability potential Achilles heel
While the data shows voters over the age of 55 and younger adults are the most positive when it comes to Carney’s economic management, responsiveness to premiers and “shovels in the ground” agenda, a substantial cohort of Canadians aged 35 to 54 stand out as skeptics, feeling less heard and less helped than others, pointing to the minority government’s potential Achilles heel – affordability.
The views are more cautious but still positive, especially in Quebec, where 61 per cent favour the government’s approach in this area. The margins, however, hover closer to the 50 per cent mark as you head further west, with 51 per cent of Albertans and 41 per cent of residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba least likely to agree.
“On all of the economic measures, two-thirds of the country is effectively saying you’re doing a good job,” said Wright. “Overall, these are remarkable numbers from coast-to-coast-to-coast, and especially in those areas where there may be some referendum battles, in Quebec and in Alberta, the sense of support for the Prime Minister and what he’s trying to do is very high.”
Canada Pulse Insights surveyed 1,510 Canadian adults powered by the SAGO online panel platform, Jan. 29 – Feb. 2, 2026. The results have a comparable margin of error of ± 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.