Just under 40 per cent of Canadian farmers think it’s best for Canadian agriculture that U.S vice-president Kamala Harris win the U.S. presidential election set for Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
As part of the latest Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index, farmers surveyed earlier this month were asked who they thought would be better for Canadian agriculture as president. Harris was identified as the better option by 37 per cent of respondents, with former president Donald Trump named by only 18 per cent as the best choice. 46 per cent of respondents either weren’t sure or figured the outcome was neither better nor worse based on Harris or Trump.
When asked why they chose one candidate over the other (pick three reasons), the 471 respondents identified Harris as the better choice due to her value of trade agreements, support for U.S./Canada relationships and her position on agricultural tariffs. Trump, however, was identified has being stronger on economic policy and for his stance on environmental economic and energy policies. Both candidates were rated similarly on their stance on agricultural subsidies and leadership style.
“With agricultural trade with the U.S. being so critical to Canadian agriculture, it’s pretty clear that their is a nervousness of some of the Trump trade policies 2.0 while Harris brings a concern regarding her broader economic and environmental policies,” says Shaun Haney, host of RealAg Radio.
Next week, RealAgristudies will be releasing the full results of the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index for October. In that report we will have farmers’ opinions on Canadian politics, trade issues, and the state of their economic health as harvest gets closer to completion for the 2024 crop.
