Most Canadians feel attached to their home, though only half trust governments: poll
OTTAWA – Most Canadians feel attached to their country, province and municipality but only about half of them trust their governments, a new poll suggests.
The Leger survey, which polled 1,537 Canadians between May 16 and 18, suggests that 82 per cent of Canadians feel attached to their country.
Because the poll was conducted online, it can't be assigned a margin of error.
The poll suggests that 46 per cent of Canadians feel 'very attached' to Canada, while another 36 per cent feel 'somewhat attached.' Twelve per cent feel 'not very attached.' Only four per cent said they're 'not at all attached' to Canada.
A similar percentage of those polled — 80 per cent — said they feel attached to their province. While 42 per cent said they feel 'very attached,' 38 per cent said they're 'somewhat attached' and 14 per cent are 'not very attached.'
Seventy-one per cent of Canadians feel attached to their town or city, the poll suggests. While 26 per cent said they feel 'very attached,' 45 per cent said they feel 'somewhat attached' and 21 per cent said they feel 'not very attached.'
Albertan respondents recorded the lowest percentages expressing an emotional attachment to their home, with 70 per cent citing attachment to Canada, 73 per cent to their province and 64 per cent to their municipality.
Conversely, among Ontarians, 86 per cent cited an attachment to Canada, 80 per cent to the province and 71 per cent to their municipality.
Eighty per cent of Quebecers said they were attached to their country and province, while 70 per cent said they were attached to their municipality.
The poll suggests that women are more likely than men to feel an attachment to their country, province and municipality, and older Canadians expressed more attachment than younger ones.
Almost nine in 10 people at least 55 years old were attached to Canada or their province, compared with about three in four of those 18 to 34 years old.
Liberal voters also were more likely to express attachment, with 93 per cent citing an attachment to Canada, 84 per cent to their province and 77 per cent to their country. Among Conservative voters surveyed, 75 per cent cited an attachment to Canada or their province.
Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president for Central Canada, told The Canadian Press that he wasn't surprised to see a high level of attachment to Canada given the ongoing trade war with the U.S., President Donald Trump's calls for annexation and the resulting 'spike' in patriotism.
He said the generational divide could be caused by younger Canadians being 'let down' on issues that matter to them, like affordability. Enns added that there was a push among younger Canadians for 'change' and for the Conservatives in the recent election and their disappointment in the outcome may be reflected in this poll.
Despite the high levels of attachment the poll reports, only about half of respondents said they trusted their governments.
Albertans reported having the lowest levels of trust in all three levels of government, with about one-in-three trusting the federal government, compared with 60 per cent of those in Quebec, 53 per cent in British Columbia and 51 per cent in Ontario.
The numbers didn't vary as much for trust in their municipal or provincial governments.
Forty-one per cent of Albertans said they trust their municipal government, compared to 50 per cent of Ontarians, 51 per cent of people in B.C. and 56 per cent of Quebecers.
Forty-three per cent of Albertans said they trust their provincial government, compared to 44 per cent of Ontarians, 45 per cent of Quebecers and 56 per cent of people in B.C.
Trust in all levels of government was much higher among Liberals than among Conservatives. Among Liberals, 83 per cent said they trust the federal government, 64 per cent said they trust their municipal government and 55 per cent said they trust their provincial government.
Twenty-one per cent of Conservatives said they trust their federal government, 40 per cent said they trust their municipal government and 41 per cent said they trust their provincial government.
Enns said levels of trust in governments seem to have declined and that these numbers were lower than he expected.
'I think that the timing of asking the question has a bit of a bearing because it comes fairly close after a pretty hard-fought election campaign,' he said. 'It actually is a bit illustrative in terms of how the election sort of permeates out in affecting people's perspectives on different things.'
Enns pointed out that Canada had a 'pretty unpopular' prime minister in 2023 and 2024.
'It just seemed to snowball into a federal government that even when they sort of were doing some of the right things, they didn't seem to get a lot of credit, and that too just erodes the general sort of public perception of the institution,' Enns said.
Enns said the low trust levels indicate how much work Prime Minister Mark Carney has to do on 'rebuilding up some of the trust in the federal government.'
The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
Bell: Carney gets Bill C-5 win but will Danielle Smith get schooled by the PM?
Article content Question for premier But a big question remains. Did Alberta Premier Danielle Smith get what she wanted? Did Alberta get what it wanted? Unlike Carney, both Smith and Alberta will have to wait for the big win, if there is one. Carney is asked the big question after his big win. Will the first projects to be fast-tracked be in the energy field? Will those projects be considered initially? The reporter mentions Premier Smith and pipelines. Smith wants a bitumen pipeline to the B.C. port of Prince Rupert. Smith backed Carney on Bill C-5. 'Well, that's a very good question,' says Carney. You know when someone says it's a very good question you might not get a very good answer. 'It depends. To be perfectly honest that's the only answer,' continues the prime minister. Carney says there are transmission line projects and there are a number of possible pipeline projects, gas pipelines or oil pipelines. Article content Article content But …. 'At the same time there are major projects that are very attractive. For example, a project in Quebec that's very attractive,' he says, in French. Sinking feeling Carney mentions a potential energy corridor at Grays Point in Nunavut. There is a potential project in Manitoba and Saskatchewan as far as Churchill. 'Those are projects that could lead to the development of other projects involving critical minerals.' If you're experiencing a sinking feeling it's not the pizza you ate last night. Carney says there are other projects not on the list put forward by the provinces 'in terms of AI infrastructure.' The prime minister talks about what a project has to have in order to be picked for the express lane of approval. 'It has to be in the national interest,' says Carney. 'There has to be some probability they can actually move forward. Article content 'We have to have the agreement of the Indigenous peoples.' Here is a line for you. 'They also have to be consistent with our climate goals in Canada.' When will the first so-called nation-building projects be picked? 'We'll see,' says Carney. Premier Smith has already said she wants Carney and the Liberals to be dealing with her demand to scrap nine anti-oil and gas and anti-development Liberal laws by the fall. You know, getting rid of the oil and gas emissions cap, the tanker ban, rewriting or scrapping the No More Pipelines law, tossing the net-zero power regulations, to name the ones that always come up. A few days ago, Smith backed Carney in the hopes of getting the pipeline built as a first step. Then with her pipeline on the prime minister's VIP list, the Very Important Project list, Carney could then take the hatchet to the bad for Alberta laws cooked up in the 10 years of Trudeau. Article content But, just saying, what happens if Carney doesn't come through with Smith's bitumen pipeline? What happens if Carney doesn't deal with most of Smith's demands? One of the premier's demands is for Carney to scrap the Liberal goal of having no new gas vehicles sold in 10 years. Carney is not changing course on that one. Meanwhile, the federal Conservatives also backed Carney. They also wanted the nasty Liberal laws holding up development to be scrapped. They campaigned on it in the last election campaign. They voted with Carney on Bill C-5 since something was better than nothing. They didn't want to be seen as standing in the way of something moving forward. When the vote was over Carney went over and shook some Conservative hands. It is easy to shake hands when you won the game. Devin Dreeshen, Smith's point man on transportation and economic corridors who is hoping real hard for that bitumen pipeline, weighs in on a worst-case scenario. 'If the kind words from the Carney government ring hollow because there are no projects in Alberta being fast-tracked we are right back to Square 1 where we have a federal government that says it is Team Canada but is doing everything to not help Team Canada win.' Latest National Stories
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
First Nations youth say they're 'starting a movement' against major projects bills
Published Jun 21, 2025 • 4 minute read Indigenous children play in water-filled ditches in Attawapiskat, Ont. on April 19, 2016. Photo by Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — First Nations youth leaders are warning Canadians can expect a long, tense summer of protests as governments push forward with plans to fast-track major projects — and young people will be leading the charge. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'You will see us in your cities, your city's hubs,' said Ramon Kataquapit, a youth councillor with the Chiefs of Ontario and Nishnawbe Aski Nation and a member of Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario. The federal Liberal government's Bill C-5, which passed through the House of Commons Friday night, allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines. It sailed through a Commons committee in the early hours of Thursday with support from the Conservatives. And in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford's Conservatives have passed legislation allowing his government to designate 'special economic zones' where the provincial cabinet can exempt companies or projects from having to comply with any provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Both pieces of legislation have met with fierce resistance from First Nations leaders who accuse Ottawa and Queen's Park of trampling on their rights and failing to consult with them in good faith. Kataquapit said First Nations youth are 'starting a movement' to protect their cultures and lands from what they see as increasing encroachment by governments looking to build major projects in a hurry. He compared both pieces of legislation to a rock falling off a mountain. 'You don't know how much momentum it's going to build,' he said. 'It might cause a mudslide and turn into something like an avalanche. 'This can turn into something much bigger, and a lot of our people — a lot of the youth — we see that.' While chiefs have been the most prominent First Nations voices in news coverage of the legislation, Kataquapit said young people were the driving force behind recent rallies against the fast-track bills in northern Ontario, at Queen's Park and on Parliament Hill. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He said they draw inspiration from the Anishinaabe Seven Fires Prophecy, which speaks of a 'seventh fire' generation that will bring back traditional knowledge and ways of living after a period of cultural dislocation. 'We were raised to be the seventh generation,' Kataquapit said. 'What I've been taught was that it's my role to wake people up and to really show just how much colonization has affected us, but (also) how much strength we have in our traditional identity, culture … 'The seven fires are ready to take the steps that our leadership are falling back on because they fought a good fight for their entire lives. It's just nature that you grow tired, scarred, traumatized.' Terra Roy, another youth councillor with Chiefs of Ontario, said First Nations youth can do more than just protest — they can engage with the land and with traditional knowledge as an act of resistance. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We have young people in Attawapiskat taking the rivers,' Roy said. 'I'm happy that we're returning to the land and continuing to occupy it.' Roy, who works as a liaison between Beausoleil First Nation and the private sector, spoke to The Canadian Press while attending a project management training session in Edmonton. Roy said the federal and provincial legislation makes their own work seem almost futile. 'I was like, 'Well, what the heck did I just get hired for then if (governments are) just going to bulldoze over everything I say?'' Roy said. 'I'm here trying to create a whole department for my community so that we can have a greater say in our treaty area and then (governments) are like, 'Oh, just kidding.' 'I'm angry. I'm frustrated, heartbroken, annoyed.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Much of that frustration comes from a sense of deja vu. First Nations say they've been in this position before, when legislation introduced by the Stephen Harper government to allow governments and businesses to push through projects without strict environmental assessment triggered the countrywide protest movement known as Idle No More. Roy vividly remembers sitting with their mother as a child as they took part in an Idle No More protest at a mall. 'It's frustrating that at 11 years old I was doing that, and now again at 23,' Roy said. 'If I'm tired of having to fight this again, I can only imagine how my grandmother feels.' Hanna Sewell, a nurse and a member of Batchewana First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., said young people have to lead this fight because they're the ones who will have to live with the impacts of accelerated development. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If the land is sick, we're going to be sick as well,' she said. 'We don't want this bill, and we are the future generations that are going to govern this land and save it.' Read More Pierre Debassige, a member of M'Chigeeng First Nation and youth councillor for Anishinabek Nation, said First Nations won't be the only ones to experience those impacts. 'If they start development in the Ring of Fire in the Far North, all those lakes, rivers all come down to the Great Lakes,' he said. 'If there's that contamination that comes down from the North, it's going to affect not only their communities, but here in southern Ontario.' Debassige said it's his generation's turn to step up. 'United we stand and we conquer, but divided we fall one by one,' he said. 'I'm always thinking of that seven generations behind me (and) what my great-great-great-great grandchildren are going to be doing. Maybe they'll see the work that I've done as a young person, (that I) fought for all of this.' Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Editorial Cartoons Sunshine Girls
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Ottawa considering 'combination of approaches' to 20% military pay hike
OTTAWA — Defence Minister David McGuinty's office says it's considering a 'combination of approaches' to boosting pay for armed service members, including introducing retention bonuses for 'stress trades.' 'This investment represents an almost 20 per cent increase to the overall CAF compensation envelope,' McGuinty's spokesperson Laurent de Casanove said in an email statement to The Canadian Press. 'The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are actively working on how best to implement this investment, looking at options that include a combination of approaches such as retention bonuses for stress trades, increased starting salaries for junior members, and a broad-based salary increase.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. While McGuinty's recent public commitment to grant the Canadian Armed Forces a '20 per cent pay increase' won praise within the defence community, it has also led to confusion — and some experts are saying they want to read the fine print. Military pay scales are complicated and are based on rank, profession, deployment and other conditions. There are many ways to roll out a boost in compensation. Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said she thinks this will not amount to an across-the-board pay hike. 'What is clear to me from this statement is that they are looking at all the options,' she said. 'We're still in that big question about what it looks like because a pay raise versus specialty pay versus an adaptation of the compensation package overall — not in salary — are not the same thing.' She said the way the pay pledge was communicated initially was 'risky' since the details were not readily available, and that has led to confusion among military members and expectations of a blanket pay hike. Gary Walbourne, former ombudsman for the Department of National Defence, called McGuinty's promise 'vague at best.' 'There's nothing clear in this message,' he said. 'A 20 per cent increase overall to CAF compensation envelope, what does that mean? Is it coming in benefits? … Is it going be on a cyclical basis? What's the percentage increase? Is it based on seniority, rank, merit?' The former watchdog for military personnel said it sounds like the Liberal government wants to implement a pay boost quickly, but 'the mechanisms that they apply to it is going to complicate it and once the bureaucrats get their hands on it, well, I can see a slowdown coming.' If CAF members don't see a 20 per cent pay bump after the minister's announcement, he said, it will be 'deja vu all over again' for military personnel who have been let down in the past by lofty promises followed by implementation that 'sucks big time.' The federal government has multiple policy options for addressing the cost of living for CAF members, such as lowering rent for on- or near-base housing or boosting allowances, such as danger pay. Duval-Lantoine suggested Ottawa should focus on specialty trades that 'do not get nearly the attraction that they need to have.' The military has long struggled with shortages of professionals who are hard to recruit and retain — people in the technical trades and logistics, pilots, medical specialists and middle management. The Navy has found it hard to attract and keep maritime technicians, while people working in maintenance trades such as plumbers and electricians can be paid better in the private sector. Walbourne suggested Ottawa look at direct pay, focus on the lower ranks and address regional disparities in the cost of living. Andrew Leslie, a retired lieutenant-general and former Liberal MP who has called for higher wages in the armed forces, hailed the minister's pledge as long overdue. 'They need it because the last 10 years, there hasn't been a lot of love shown to the Canadian Armed Forces by the government of Canada,' Leslie said. 'Quite frankly, a 20 per cent pay increase is outstanding and I compliment the leaders who made that decision. I firmly believe they're going to pay a 20 per cent pay increase to everybody in the Canadian Forces.' Gaelle Rivard Piche, head of the Conference of Defence Associations and the CDA Institute, called the promised pay hike a 'great first step' and something that could be achieved 'quite easily' compared to other challenges facing the armed forces. 'It was long overdue,' she said. 'We know that the Canadian Armed Forces have been dealing with both a recruitment and a retention problem, and an increase in salary will certainly help to make Canadian Armed Forces positions and employment more attractive.' Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed during the recent federal election that he would rebuild and rearm the military and increase military pay. Some of the largest earmarks in his election platform go toward national defence. He recently announced a cash injection of $9 billion into national defence this fiscal year, as Canada looks to finally meet its NATO defence spending commitment. Then-defence minister Bill Blair last year described the state of military recruitment as a 'death spiral' and Canada is still short some 13,000 regular and primary reserve personnel, according to the Department of National Defence. 'There's been generally some delays in terms of receiving basic training, but also trade-related training, which makes people less inclined to finish their training and then become an actual serving member,' said Rivard Piche. Leslie also said housing and base conditions remain abysmal in some areas and need to be quickly addressed. 'Black mould exists in a variety of national defence buildings. There are some bases that don't have drinking water. There's buildings and houses for families that are 60, 70, 80 years old in dire need of repair,' he said. 'As well, you've got to make sure that you have money for equipment, money for training, money to create the stockpiles of stuff you're going to need should the worst happen — i.e., war.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
