Overwhelming majority of Canadians view upcoming election as most important ever

Fueled by US tariffs and a threat to their sovereignty, close to 86% of Canadians believe the coming federal election is the most important ever, according to a Nanos poll released on Sunday.

“Close to nine-in-10 (86%) of Canadians think this federal election is more important than previous elections, while 13% think it is as important and 1% are unsure,” the Nanos poll found.

Meanwhile, as the April 28 election nears, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party, who, before the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, led convincingly in public polls, have seen their fortunes change.

Under Trudeau's replacement, Prime Minister Mark Carney, the ruling Liberals have stormed past the Conservatives and into the lead.

However, the latest poll results released Sunday show the Conservatives have gained some ground, and the gap between the two has been narrowed by six points, pollster Nik Nanos said in a statement on the Nanos website.

“In the post-Trump ‘Liberation Day' period the gap between the Liberals and the Conservatives has narrowed, with the Liberals at 43 percent and the Conservatives at 37 percent nationally,” the statement said.

The Nanos survey also found that while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith resists attempts to put counter-tariffs on her province's oil and gas exported to the US, a majority of Canadians—68%—support the move.

Over three days, Nanos Research interviews 1,200 Canadians aged 18 and up (400 per day). A random survey of 1,270 Canadians is accurate plus or minus 2.8 percentage points 19 times out of 20.