Oh, Canada. For years, the world has viewed our country in a certain light. Terms like polite, kind and nice come to mind.
But between tariffs and annexation talk, Canada’s evolving relationship with the United States seems to be changing attitudes, not just about Americans, but how we view our own country as well.
Research released from the Environics Institute suggests Canadian pride and optimism is spiking in the months following the inauguration of U.S president Donald Trump.
“The sense of being proud to be Canadian was getting more muted,” Andrew Parkin, executive director of the Environics Institute told CTV News Toronto.
Environics surveyed nearly 2,000 Canadians in May 2025. A key finding noted a significant rise in nationalism following what Environics described as a “bottoming out” that began with COVID-19 lockdowns, culminating in September 2024.
“There was a 20 point drop in that strong feeling of national pride from 73 to 53 per cent over a few years. Now, that doesn’t mean that half of the country didn’t feel proud to be Canadian, right? They felt somewhat proud or they weren’t sure,” explained Parkin.
“Up to 86 per cent of Canadians (now) say they feel somewhat proud to be Canadian. And there’s a boost in the proportion who feel very proud.”
The sense of national pride fluctuates according to region, with only 46 per cent of Quebecers describing themselves as “very proud” compared to 67 per cent of other Canadians. Ontario and the Atlantic provinces reported the highest levels of patriotism.
And while the numbers paint a rosy picture in some respects, Parkin says Canadians’ opinions about the overall direction of the country remain lukewarm, at best.
“There’s still more people who are dissatisfied than satisfied. We are more satisfied than we were last year. But it didn’t flip completely. We didn’t go from worried about inflation, worried about national unity to suddenly being not worried about any of these things. We know that political dissatisfaction affects these numbers. So if the new government is not successful at recharging the Canadian economy, and with some other issues, these numbers can go up and down.”
