Most Ontarians support a deal Canada struck with China that will significantly reduce tariffs on nearly 50,000 Chinese-made vehicles sold in the Canadian market this year, according to a new poll.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the deal earlier this month in Beijing: Canada will allow 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) into Canada this year at a tariff rate of just 6.1 per cent, down from the 100 per cent tariff Canada implemented in tandem with the U.S. in 2024, while China is expected to lower duties on canola seed and eliminate tariffs on some seafood and other products.
The deal raised the ire of prominent auto-sector leaders and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who called on the province to boycott Chinese EVs.
According to a new poll, a minority of Ontarians share their opposition.
Pallas Data, polling for The Trillium on Jan. 24, found that 60 per cent of Ontarians support the EV deal, compared to 34 per cent opposed. The support held across all regions of the province, but the deal was far less popular among Progressive Conservative (PC) supporters — who were 61 per cent opposed to 34 cent in support.
Likewise, a majority of Ontarians disagreed with the premier’s criticism that it was a “lopsided deal” that risks Ontario’s auto jobs and our access to the U.S. market, while the majority agreed with the federal government’s messaging about diversifying trade away from the U.S., getting Chinese carmakers to invest in setting up factories in Canada that would employ Canadian workers to make cars for domestic use and export markets other than the United States.
Overall, a large majority of Ontarians said they trust Carney to manage Canada’s economic relationship with the U.S. and China over Ford, 60 per cent versus 14 per cent, while another 17 per cent said they trust neither.
This preference held across all regions, ages, and among supporters of all parties — although it was close among supporters of Ontario’s PCs. Of those respondents who said they’d vote for Ford’s party in an election held today, 35 per cent said they trust Carney over 32 per cent for Ford.
Some voters appeared to deeply distrust Ford. When asked about his claims that Chinese-made EVs are “spy cars” due to cybersecurity concerns, 30 per cent of voters — including half of NDP and Liberal supporters — said the comments would make them more likely to buy a Chinese EV.
Still, Ford would win an election held today, the poll found. Among decided and leaning voters, 43 per cent said they’d vote for the Progressive Conservatives, compared to 30 per cent for the Liberals, 18 per cent for the NDP and five per cent for the Greens. PC support was consistent across all ages, but higher among men than women, lowest in eastern Ontario and highest in the north.
The poll comes after Ford has won three straight majorities, but faces some criticism from the right about not being conservative enough. Meanwhile, the Ontario Liberal Party is being run by an interim leader, with details of its leadership race expected to be announced next month.
To test the nature of PC support, the poll asked voters who said they’d vote PC why: because the party aligns with their values and beliefs, or they lack a better choice right now. Just over half — 52 per cent, said they align with PC values and beliefs, while 48 per cent said they lacked a better choice.
“The Ford PC vote right now seems to be one of convenience and not conscience,” said Pallas Data CEO Joesph Angolano. “It’s not a values-driven link to Doug Ford and the PCs, it seems to be one where they have successfully convinced Ontarians, to a point, that they are the best option right now.”
“It’s now up to the opposition parties,” he said, adding that the Liberals could have a chance, by electing a new leader, to capitalize on that, and choose someone who makes Ford seem “obsolete” to voters.
The poll also asked all voters if they would be more or less likely to vote for the PCs if the party had a leader other than Ford, which showed the electorate is split — with 38 per cent of respondents saying it would make them less likely to vote PC and 36 per cent saying it would make them more likely. The division was similar among supporters of all major parties. Among PC supporters, 45 per cent said they would be less likely to vote for a Ford-less PC party, while 36 per cent said would be more likely to vote PC without Ford.
Angolano said the results show him that Ford holds some appeal across the political spectrum and that while he can be polarizing, it’s not a particularly partisan basis.
“Doug Ford may make some people mad, but he’s able to convince people that he is the best of the options out there,” Angolano said. “That’s how you win. That’s how you keep this going.”
To read the full poll report, click here.
The analysis in this report is based on results of a survey conducted on Jan. 24, 2026, among a sample of 1,015 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in Ontario and eligible to vote in provincial elections. The survey was conducted using automated telephone interviews with Interactive Voice Recording technology (IVR). Respondents were interviewed on landlines and cellular phones. The sample was weighted by age, gender, and region according to the 2021 census. The survey is intended to represent the adult population in Ontario. The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.1 per cent, at the 95 per cent confidence level. Margins of error are higher in each subsample. Totals may not add up 100 per cent due to rounding.
