Trade tensions are causing a spike in anxiety for Canadians

By Abbas Hussain, April 6 2025—

With the announcement of the new tariffs being placed on Canada by the newly inaugurated Trump administration, concerns over the incredibly damaging tariffs have caused a lot of anxiety within Canadians, who are already dealing with an increase in the cost of living, among many other problems, exacerbated by global issues, including climate change. 

A study conducted by GreenShield and Mental Health Research Canada identifies the key trends and gaps within the system that could be improved. The results stressed an upsurge in reported cases of anxiety among Canadians, especially on issues related to the cost of living and political tensions with the U.S. 

According to the data, 42 per cent of Canadians report that ongoing economic challenges are negatively impacting their mental health, while 39 per cent express concern over their ability to pay bills on time. Nearly half of respondents say they’ve experienced increased anxiety in the past month — a burden felt most acutely by lower-income households and women. Political uncertainty in the United States is also adding to the nation’s stress levels, with four in 10 Canadians citing it as a source of anxiety, second only to the rising cost of living, which was identified by 52 per cent of respondents.

Political tensions with the U.S mark the second most important issue on Canadians’ minds, only behind the cost of living and ahead of issues such as personal challenges, public safety issues and climate change.

Another interesting detail of the study is how the different key issues affect different demographics. The study cites the most important source of anxiety for young people as personal challenges.

Regarding future predictions, the study states that once these political and economic changes fully go into effect, we predict a massive increase in worsened anxiety among Canadians as they feel the impact in their day-to-day lives.