Canadians are ‘overwhelmingly open’ to closer EU ties as Carney heads to Europe: poll

Support for Canada deepening its relationship with Europe is growing, a new poll has found, as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to travel to Strasbourg, France, to strengthen ties with the European Union.

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An Abacus Data survey, which was conducted from September 4 to 9, found that 80 per cent of Canadians say Canada should deepen strategic cooperation with the European Union on foreign policy, defence, and economic priorities — up six points since February.

The European Union itself is viewed positively by 71 per cent of Canadians, up five points since February, compared to 16 per cent who have a negative impression of it, which is unchanged from February.

Elsewhere, 81 per cent support closer integration with the EU, including making it easier to trade, travel, work and study and to cooperate on security, while 56 per cent say Canada has more in common with the countries of the EU than with the United States. Just 16 per cent say Canada has more in common with the United States.

The survey found that support for Canada deepening strategic cooperation with the EU is broad, and crosses provincial boundaries. It reaches 84 per cent in British Columbia, 79 per cent in Alberta, 74 per cent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 80 per cent in Ontario, 82 per cent in Quebec, and 73 per cent in Atlantic Canada.

The partisan difference is more marked, but a majority across party affiliations are in support. Among Liberal voters, 92 per cent support deeper cooperation with the EU, as do 92 per cent of NDP voters and 86 per cent of Bloc Québécois voters. Among Conservative voters, support is lower but still reaches 69 per cent.

The findings come ahead of Carney’s trip to Europe from September 15 to 17, where he is scheduled to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg, attend European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address, and meet with members of the European Parliament.

On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Carney wishes to make Canada the first-ever “associate member” of the EU, which would allow Canada’s goods, services and workers in defence, energy, AI, and critical minerals to move freely in Europe.

However, the prime minister poured cold water on the claim later that day while on the red carpet of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Globe and Mail reports that Carney said, “We’re not looking to become a member of the European Union,” but that Canada is starting talks with the EU about forming a “unique alliance.”

It comes as the federal government continues to frame closer ties with Europe as part of a broader effort to diversify Canada’s economic and security relationships and reduce its vulnerability to an increasingly unpredictable U.S. under president Donald Trump.

On that topic, the Abacus Data survey found that when Canadians are asked what concerns them more about the future of Canada’s relationships with both Europe and the U.S., 39 per cent point to Canada continuing to rely too heavily on the U.S. Just 16 per cent are concerned that closer ties with the EU could weaken Canada’s relationship with the U.S.

Meanwhile, only 21 per cent of Canadians now have a positive impression of the U.S., down three points since February, while 75 per cent have a negative impression, an increase of six points. It means the gap between positive impressions of the EU and positive impressions of the United States now stands at 50 points.

There is a much larger partisan divide, but even there, Europe is viewed positively by a majority of voters across party affiliations.

Among Liberal supporters, 85 per cent have a positive impression of the EU, as do 79 per cent of NDP supporters and 80 per cent of Bloc Québécois supporters. Among Conservative voters, 58 per cent have a positive impression.

By comparison, only 37 per cent of Conservative voters have a positive impression of the U.S. Among Liberal voters the number is 12 per cent, among NDP voters 11 per cent, and among Bloc voters just 3 per cent.

That said, Canadians are divided when asked about becoming a member of the EU. Nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) say they would support Canada becoming a member state of the European Union, while another 30 per cent are opposed to the idea and 21 per cent are unsure. Support is up slightly from 48 per cent in February and from 46 per cent in 2025, while the share who are unsure has fallen from 25 per cent in 2025.

The majority of Liberal voters (64 per cent) support EU membership, as do 56 per cent of NDP voters and 57 per cent of Bloc Québécois voters, while only 33 per cent of Conservative voters support it and 51 per cent are opposed.

Nevertheless, Abacus Data says the survey results paint a clear picture: “Canadians are increasingly positive about Europe, overwhelmingly open to deeper cooperation, supportive of a much broader economic and security relationship, and more worried about continued dependence on the United States than they are about the consequences of moving closer to Europe.”

The survey authors add that the public increasingly appears to see Europe as part of the solution to how Canada can become more resilient, more economically independent, and less vulnerable to the decisions of any one country.

The Abacus Data survey was conducted with 1,479 Canadian adults from September 4 to 9, 2026. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is approximately plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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