Canadians have ‘sense of superiority’ over Americans, poll finds

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There’s a “silver lining” to Trump’s offensive remarks, Abelson said.

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“He really gave us a wakeup call to kind of lull us out of this complacency that we receive preferential treatment from the United States, that we have this special bond, this special relationship,” he said. “And we don’t. Things have changed that dramatically.”

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Lisa Raitt, a former Conservative MP who served in Stephen Harper’s cabinet, says anti-Americanism is not dissipating in Canada.

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“In fact, it’s kind of entrenching itself,” said Raitt, who Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed to the Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations.

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On the Canadians who see better opportunities south of the border, Raitt blames social media for portraying an “idealized look of day-to-day life in the United States because influencers are putting their best foot forward, not their worst foot forward, and I can see why people think that life is better — there’s more opportunity for you on the other side.”

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Lower taxes, cheaper food and houses in the U.S. “used to all be countered with yes, but we have excellent health care,” Raitt said. “But we don’t anymore, so that kind of flies out the window.”

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A slim majority of Canadians (51 per cent) said the two populations are not similar, while 44 per cent said they are.

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The vast majority of Americans (69 per cent) said they’re similar to Canadians, with only 20 per cent responding that they are not.

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Thirty-four per cent of Canadians told the pollster they do not admire the U.S. at all, while 29 per cent said they somewhat admire it, and another 26 per cent indicated they admire it “a little.”

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Admiration is higher among Conservative Canadian voters, with 21 per cent of Tories indicating they admire the U.S. “a great deal,” and 38 per cent saying they admire Americans “somewhat.”

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Meanwhile, 38 per cent of Liberals, 60 per cent of New Democrats and 46 per cent of Bloc voters expressed no admiration at all for our neighbours to the south.

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Canadians’ disdain for their neighbour isn’t necessarily reciprocated. A full 32 per cent of Americans polled said Canadians are nicer. Another 23 per cent of them said Canadians are more cultured.

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“Everybody in the world says that we’re polite, and we are. We’re extremely polite,” Raitt said. “We’re very nice to you, but you push us too far and you’re going to see us turn into that Canada goose.”

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While she’s pleased to see Americans think we’re nice, Raitt hopes that doesn’t mean Canadians are seen as a soft touch in Washington.

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“Yes, they trust us, but do they also think they can beat us in business, kind of thing? Are we naïve?” Raitt said.

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“I don’t think they think we’re very sharp,” she said. “It’s almost like we’re their Golden Retriever. We’re the ones that will hold the flashlight when you’re robbing us.”

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Majorities in both countries – 56 per cent of Canadians and 54 per cent of Americans — described the relationship between the two nations as neighbourly.

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But Americans are more likely to describe the two countries as close friends, with 20 per cent of them settling on that definition, while only eight per cent of Canadians did the same. And 13 per cent of Canadians see the relationship as a rivalry, versus just six per cent of Americans.

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Canadians believe this country has the better global reputation (82 per cent) while only six per cent said the same of the U.S.

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In the U.S., Canada came out ahead on that measure (43 per cent), with only 26 per cent of Americans indicating their country has the better reputation.