Canadians rally in Toronto on March 22. New data suggest that national unity rebounded last year after declining during the pandemic.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
In the leadup to recent political disruptions, including tensions with the U.S. and growing discussion of Western separatism, most Canadians were hopeful about the future of national unity and appeared to harbour positive or neutral feelings toward each other, regardless of differences in political views, according to newly released data.
Two Statistics Canada reports published Wednesday delve into measures of national unity and social cohesion, a relatively new area of exploration for the federal statistics agency.
As the research was conducted in April, 2024, it does not capture recent shifts in sentiment in response to more recent developments such as the trade war with the U.S. However, one of the reports says, the data “serve as a useful baseline for Canadians’ sense of national unity and their societal outlook prior to these events and future comparisons.”
Most respondents were hopeful about the future of Canadian society. More than eight out of 10 said they were hopeful about unity, and a similar proportion said so about democracy.
A slightly lower proportion – 75 per cent – said they were hopeful about the economic opportunities. However, difficulty meeting financial obligations and poor health conditions were linked to relatively lower hopefulness about unity.
Majority of Canadians think Western separatism is serious: poll
The data also suggest that national unity had rebounded last year, after declining during the pandemic. The research found 80 per cent of respondents reported a strong or very strong sense of belonging to Canada by late 2024. That’s up from 72 per cent in mid-2022.
(Statscan warns that comparisons across time should be made with caution, because different methods were used to measure unity.)
The new data also sheds light on how Canadians felt about each other, including those who may hold different political views. More than three quarters of respondents had warm or neutral feelings about people whether they share their political views or not.
“That stands in slight contrast to some other work that’s been done in this area, and only 2.4 per cent who had very warm feelings towards people with similar political views also had very cold feelings towards people with different political views,” said Samuel MacIsaac, a senior research analyst at Statscan who authored both reports, in an interview.
However, Canadians were less forgiving toward those who hold different views on racism and gender identity, according to the data. About a quarter of respondents who held very warm feelings toward people who share their views on racism held very cold views on those who do not.
Dr. MacIsaac acknowledged that Statscan hasn’t historically delved into the interplay between social cohesion and politics, making these studies novel: “There was definitely a lot of caution taken, because as a national statistical agency … we have an apolitical mandate."
He added: “You’ll notice, right off the bat, these questions differ from pollsters and academics that may have more liberty in terms of measuring people’s political views.”
Statscan has in the past looked into how Canadians feel about others who belong to the same social circle, such as friends, colleagues and neighbours. However, Dr. MacIsaac said overlooking how they feel about people who do not belong to their “in group” could overstate the level of social cohesiveness in society.
Since spring last year, when the data were collected, the issue of unity has risen to the top of the political agenda because of tensions within the country and with the United States.
While the federal election had sparked discussions about Western provinces seceding from the country, recent polling shows only a minority of Canadians in those regions are interested in separation.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada as well has his decision to impose tariffs have also reignited a sense of national pride in this country.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will have a chance to put his approach to national unity to the test early next week in Saskatoon, when he meets with provincial and territorial premiers. Mr. Carney has said he wants to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers and support large nation-building infrastructure projects.