A Nanos poll showed Canadians ranked agriculture higher than the auto sector
When it comes to federal support, the agriculture industry is the top priority for Canadians.
That’s according to a Nanos survey conducted for CTV News.
Nanos polled 1,032 Canadians between Oct. 27 and 30 and asked the following question:
“Thinking about the impact of US tariffs in Canada, which industry do you think the federal government should prioritize in terms of supporting to help counter US tariffs?”
29 per cent, or about 299 people, indicated the agriculture sector should receive the most support. 24 per cent of respondents, or around 247 people, chose the auto sector as priority.
The survey also asked Canadians to identify which sector should receive the second most amount of federal support.
19 per cent of those surveyed, or about 196 Canadians, chose agriculture. Another 18 per cent, or 185 people, selected the auto industry.
Nationally, women felt stronger about supporting ag than men did.
Of the 500 women included in the survey, 32 per cent, or 160, think the ag industry should be the government’s priority.
That’s compared to the 532 men in the survey. About 25 per cent of them, or 133, sided with agriculture over the auto industry.
The survey also highlighted which parts of the country feel the strongest about different industries.
Most of the support for agriculture came from the Prairies.
Of the 217 Canadians in the region included in the survey, around 42 percent, or 91 people, said the ag industry should receive the most federal dollars.
Those voicing support for the auto sector are mostly located in Ontario.
35 per cent, or 111 of the 319 Ontarians included in the survey, said the auto industry should be at the top of the list.
The survey results indicate a difficult road ahead for the prime minister.
“For Mark Carney as prime minister, he’s got to do a lot of political juggling right now,” Nik Nanos, founder and chief data scientist at Nanos Research, told CTV News.