The idea of a U.S. presidency headed by The Donald strikes fear in the hearts of many Canadians.
More than two-thirds—67%—of Canucks are worried about what a successful presidential bid by real estate magnate Donald Trump would mean for Canada, according to the results of an Insights West poll released February 1.
This is five percentage points higher than when a similar poll was conducted in August.
Canadians who voted NDP in October’s federal election were the most likely to think negatively of the controversial businessman, with 78% saying he would be bad for Canada. Among those who voted Liberal, 71% said they were fearful.
Perhaps surprisingly, even the majority of Conservative voters said they didn’t like the idea of a President Trump.
“Republican presidential candidates usually fare well with Canada’s Conservative voters, but Trump continues to be perceived negatively,” said Insights West vice-president of public affairs Mario Canseco.
“In fact, Trump is regarded as a bad choice for Canada by 57% of those who voted for the Tories in last year’s Canadian federal election.”
Here in British Columbia alone, 81% of those surveyed are concerned about a Trump victory. Across Canada, he is particularly unpopular with women, with 71% saying he would be bad news.
Only 20% of those surveyed said a Trump presidency would be good news. Republican hopeful Ted Cruz was slightly more popular than Trump, the poll found, with 21% saying he would be a good choice. More than a quarter of those polled did not know who he was.
(Most Canadians feel Hillary Clinton would be the best choice for U.S. president. Photo: jstone/Shutterstock)
On the other hand, more than half of all survey respondents—55%—said they think a victory by Hillary Clinton would be good news for Canada. This number jumps to 63% in B.C. As well, Liberal voters (70%) and those over 55 (58%) were also in favour of a Clinton presidency.
Bernie Sanders is considerably less popular than Clinton among the Canadians polled. Only 31% said a presidency headed by the Vermont senator would be good news. As with Cruz, however, more than a quarter of those surveyed did not even know who he was.
@EmmaHampelBIV
