Canada Day 2026: Canadian Pride Holds Strong, But Regional Tensions Remain

As Canadians prepare to mark Canada Day, Leger’s latest survey finds that national pride remains a strong point of connection across the country. At the same time, views on Confederation reveal a more complex picture: many Canadians feel attached to the country, but not all feel equally well-served by the way it works.

The findings suggest that Canada Day 2026 arrives with two ideas existing side by side: a durable sense of national pride and persistent regional questions about fairness, representation and the future of the federation.

• 84% of Canadians are proud to be Canadian, including 51% who are very proud.
• Compared to Leger’s June 2025 Canadian National Pride report, overall pride is stable, while the share who are very proud is up 6 points.
• 43% say their level of pride in Canada has not changed over the past few years, while 34% feel more proud and 23% feel less proud.
• 74% believe Canada, with its current borders and provinces, will still exist 50 years from now.
• Only 23% believe Confederation treats all regions relatively fairly, while many others identify regional imbalances or remain unsure.

The survey points to a wide base of national pride, with many Canadians expressing not only attachment to the country, but a stronger emotional connection than last year. After dipping to 76% in Leger’s 2024 Canada Day survey, the share of Canadians who feel proud to be Canadian rose to 83% in 2025 and now stands at 84% in this latest survey.

That intensity is especially visible among older Canadians, who are the most likely to describe themselves as proud (90% among those aged 55+). Still, national pride is not felt equally across all groups. Younger Canadians express pride at a lower rate than older Canadians (75% among those aged 18 to 34), and political affiliation appears to shape how strongly people connect with the country. This does not mean pride is weak, but it does suggest that the meaning of Canadian pride varies depending on age, region and political outlook.

Most Canadians describe their pride as steady, but the direction of change differs sharply across regions and political groups. In Alberta, respondents are more likely than Canadians overall to say they feel less proud than they did a few years ago (36%). Conservative voters stand out even more, with nearly half reporting a decline in pride (48%).

By contrast, Liberal voters are much more likely to say their pride has increased (54%). This divide suggests that national pride is increasingly connected to broader views about politics, leadership and whether Canada is working well for different parts of the country.

For more on how regional political debates are evolving, read Leger’s recent analysis of the Alberta separation debate.

Even with regional tensions in the background, most Canadians believe Canada will remain intact over the long term. This finding is important because it shows that concerns about fairness do not necessarily translate into a belief that the country is at risk of breaking apart.

Confidence in Canada’s future is closely tied to pride. Canadians who feel more proud than they did a few years ago are especially likely to believe the country will still exist with its current borders and provinces 50 years from now (92%). Among those who feel less proud, confidence is much lower (45%), suggesting that pride is not only symbolic. It is also connected to expectations for the country’s long-term stability.

The clearest tension in the survey appears in Canadians’ views of Confederation. Relatively few believe the system treats all regions fairly, and many point instead to regional imbalances.

In Western Canada, the concern is especially focused on whether Confederation disadvantages the West. This view is particularly common in Alberta (37%) and British Columbia (31%). In Quebec, the concern is more likely to be about Quebec’s place within the system (24% say Confederation is particularly unfair to Quebec).

The high share of Canadians who answer “I don’t know” (32%) also matters. It suggests that while Confederation remains central to debates about national unity, many Canadians may not have a fixed view on whether the system is fair or how it should be evaluated.

For more context on national unity and provincial independence, read Leger’s recent article on public opinion about Alberta and Quebec independence.

This web survey was conducted from June 19 to June 22, 2026, among 1,528 Canadians aged 18 and older. Respondents were randomly recruited through Leger’s online panel, LEO, and could complete the survey in English or French.

The data was weighted by age, gender, mother tongue, region, education and presence of children in the household to ensure a representative sample of the Canadian population. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size would yield a margin of error no greater than ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20.