What to know
- Nearly half of Canadians don’t expect Carney’s latest federal budget to improve their personal finances, according to a new poll.
- The survey found 49 per cent believe the government is spending too much, down from 51 per cent before the budget.
- Sixty-three per cent of respondents believe opposition parties are mostly playing politics.
- More than half of Canadians (55 per cent) believe the country is on the wrong track.
Days after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government released its latest federal budget, a new poll suggests nearly half of Canadians don’t expect the spending plan to make a positive difference to their personal finances.
Last week, the Carney government tabled its second federal budget, which includes $142.1 billion in new spending and tax breaks.
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However, a new pre- and post-budget study from Liaison Strategies found that 49 per cent of Canadians don’t expect the budget to make any positive difference to their personal finances.
“The government has work to do explaining what this budget means for people’s own finances,” said David Valentin, principal of Liaison Strategies.
According to the poll, just 10 per cent of respondents expect the budget to make a significant difference to their finances, while 25 per cent anticipate a small difference. Another 16 per cent are unsure.
The survey also found that nearly half of Canadians believe the federal government is spending too much. That figure stands at 49 per cent, down slightly from 51 per cent before the budget was released.
Meanwhile, 30 per cent said government spending is about right, up from 25 per cent in the pre-budget survey. Another 13 per cent believe the government is spending too little, compared with 14 per cent before the budget.
Valentin described the shift in public opinion as an “improvement” for Carney’s government, despite the small change in the share of Canadians who believe it is overspending.
The poll also examined the public’s perception of opposition parties. It found that 63 per cent of Canadians believe opposition parties are mostly playing politics, up from 57 per cent before the budget. Just 25 per cent said the opposition is responding responsibly.
Despite widespread doubts about its impact on household finances, Canadians were somewhat more divided on whether the budget would improve the country’s overall financial situation.
Twenty per cent of respondents expect Canada’s financial situation to improve, compared with 13 per cent before the budget. Meanwhile, 33 per cent believe it will get worse, up from 26 per cent, while 32 per cent expect things to remain mostly the same, compared with 26 per cent previously.
The share of respondents who were unsure fell from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.
Valentin noted that 61 per cent of Canadians describe themselves as worried, pessimistic, angry or frustrated, compared with 62 per cent before the budget. Meanwhile, 31 per cent said they were optimistic or cautiously hopeful, up from 28 per cent.
The poll also found that 55 per cent believe Canada is on the wrong track, while 38 per cent say the country is heading in the right direction.
“The budget has not been followed by a substantial improvement in how Canadians feel about the economy,” Valentin said.
Liaison Strategies surveyed two separate random samples of 1,000 Canadians before and after the budget. The pre-budget survey was conducted from November 2 to 3, 2026, while the post-budget survey ran from November 7 to 8, 2026, using interactive voice response (IVR) technology.
For each sample, the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error is higher for smaller subgroups, and results may not add up to 100 per cent due to rounding.
