What Canadians Think of Mark Carney’s Priorities

Abacus Data's First Government Progress Tracker

When Mark Carney won April’s federal election, he promised to run Ottawa a little differently. Soon after being sworn in, rather than drowning ministers in a sea of mandate letters, the Prime Minister laid out seven clear national priorities - from tackling affordability to strengthening Canada’s sovereignty - and told the public to judge him on progress, not platitudes. Clarity, he argued, would build accountability and trust.

Clarity also raises the stakes. With a single list on the fridge door, Canadians can pinpoint where things are moving - and where they’re not. That’s why we launched our Government Priorities Tracker (sign up to learn how to get more data) and why, every quarter, we’ll ask Canadians three straightforward questions

1. Do these priorities match what you care about?

2. Would achieving them make a difference in your life?

3. Is the government actually getting them done?

Our inaugural survey of 1,500 adults, conducted June 17–19, offers the first baseline. Here’s what we learned.

1. Alignment: Carney’s List Mirrors Canadians’ Concerns

The good news for the government is that its agenda broadly reflects the public mood. Three-quarters or more believe each item deserves space on the national to-do list. Affordability sits at the apex: 74 per cent call lowering costs and helping people get ahead a top priority, while another 16 per cent still place it on the list. Housing affordability (65 per cent top, 21 per cent lower) and economic unification (66 per cent top, 18 per cent lower) form a solid second tier.

Support doesn’t stop at the kitchen table. Fully 60 per cent see shoring up sovereignty - through defence, borders, and policing as a top priority, and even the oft-contested notion of fiscal discipline attracts majority enthusiasm. Notably, 80 per cent of Liberal voters back spending restraint, debunking the idea that prudence is a purely Conservative rallying cry.

Only two items lag slightly: forging deeper partnerships with allies and revamping immigration rules. Both still clear the 77 per cent total-support mark but feel more abstract compared with grocery bills or rent cheques. The government’s list, in short, is well-aimed. Alignment is not the obstacle.

2. Personal Relevance: Big Goals Still Need a Human Scale

We then asked respondents whether success on each priority would be good or bad for them personally. Affordability again dominates, with 74 per cent seeing direct benefit. Housing, economic integration, and sovereignty each cross the 60 per cent threshold.

But the further a priority drifts from day-to-day life, the more tepid the response. Barely half (55 per cent) think a beefed-up alliance with the U.S. and other partners would help them personally, and under half (49 per cent) feel the same about immigration reform. The takeaway: Canadians don’t mind their government thinking globally, but they still judge success in household terms. Messaging that bridges the macro to the micro will be essential.

3. Perceived Progress: Momentum Where It Matters Least

Finally, we graded the government on momentum combining those who say Ottawa is “on track” or “ahead of schedule.” Note, this research was done in mid June before some pieces of legislation were passed by Parliament.

Here the numbers tighten:

• Unifying Canada’s economy: 49 per cent on track or better

• Protecting sovereignty: 48 per cent

• International partnerships: 46 per cent

Respectable figures for a government barely six months old. Yet on the two issues Canadians value most, the engine sputters:

• Affordability: 32 per cent

• Housing: 30 per cent

In fact, a majority believe progress on those bread-and-butter files is slower than expected or hasn’t started. Even among Liberal voters, fewer than half see movement on affordability (42 per cent) or housing (41 per cent). The progress gap is where political goodwill can erode fastest. High salience plus low momentum equals risk.

4. Implications: Expectation Management Is the Emerging Battleground

Carney’s seven-point framework has two virtues: it matches public priorities and gives Canadians a simple yardstick. Those virtues can flip to vulnerabilities if visible wins don’t arrive soon—especially on household costs and housing supply.

The data suggest three strategic imperatives:

1. Deliver vivid, early wins on affordability and housing. Symbolic budget lines or draft regulations won’t cut it. Canadians need to see rents stabilise, mortgage relief sharpen, and relief (like a tax cut on July) delivered.

2. Translate big-picture initiatives into pocketbook language. If Canada signs a sweeping security-and-trade accord, the accompanying message must spell out jobs, wages, and supply-chain security in everyday terms.

3. Continuously close the feedback loop. Quarterly updates should trumpet tangible milestones and invite scrutiny. In politics, perception becomes reality; shaping that perception requires storytelling as disciplined as policy execution.

5. The Road Ahead: Momentum Is the Message

The Carney government has started on the front foot: its agenda is focused, broadly popular, and crucially understood. That clarity amplifies both opportunity and jeopardy. Over the next year, the question won’t be whether Canadians agree with the priorities; it will be whether they feel progress where it counts.

Our team will be back in the autumn with the next scorecard. By then, Bill C-5’s free-trade and infrastructure building provisions will have had time to breathe, the new housing agency may be off the ground and households assess the economic impact - both macro and micro - of the uncertainty created by Trump. We’ll see whether perception catches up with ambition.

In the meantime, subscribers can learn how to access detailed cross-tabs, demographic cuts.

Abacus Data is Canada’s most influential public-opinion and market-research firm. We help leaders navigate disruption, from demographic shifts to technological change.