By Jeremy Kinsman

October 29, 2025

In our relentlessly bad-news world, amid shocks from the United States every day, it ought to be refreshing for Canadians to hear something positive for a change.

After years of hearing that the world needs more Canada, our response to Donald Trump since he launched his tariff war has apparently endeared us to our fellow humans for our “courage, independence, and resolute position during trade and political conflicts.”

Canada’s global reputation has made a startling jump in the last year, according to reputable rankings and surveys of global opinion. The introduction to Simon Anholt’s gold-standard Nation Brands Index for 2025 — proprietary for global clients but cited here with Anholt’s permission — emphasizes dramatic changes in North America, notably “The fall of the US and the somewhat more unexpected rise of Canada” to third place from sixth in 2024.

Citing from Anholt’s “A Good Year for Canada” section:

“A substantial 27.7% of respondents worldwide responded that their views of Canada had become more positive since 2024. Many praised Canada’s high quality of life, including its social welfare system, educational resources and job opportunities, alongside its natural beauty and appeal as a travel destination. Canada’s stance against Donald Trump was frequently mentioned, with many respondents expressing admiration for the country’s courage, independence, and resolute political position during trade and political conflicts. Trump is specifically mentioned 67 times, which may not seem like a very large number, but one should bear in mind that people are here being asked why they changed their minds about Canada, not the United States.

Rather delightfully, the phrase most frequently used to describe Canada by respondents worldwide was ‘Good Country’.”

In an email, Anholt, the founder of the most respected annual survey of decision-makers and the general public of 50 key countries, now in its 25th year, calls this change “seismic stuff”.  So much for what Tony Blair used to call “the world’s most boring social survey.”

“Boring,” because the survey’s rankings have typically shown remarkably few surprises year to year. The US steadily enjoyed the best reputation in the world from 2005 to 2016, when it began a slide to 14th in 2024. This year it has dropped further, to 23rd. Steep slides have occurred before — China fell 11 places during the pandemic, and Russia plunged an unprecedented 31 after invading Ukraine in 2022. But the fall of the US — as the beleaguered democratic superpower and erstwhile beacon of liberty — in world esteem is noteworthy.

A survey by the Reputation Lab also showed a steep slide for the US from 30th in 2024 to 48th in 2025. Canada’s reputation rose from 4th last year to 2nd today, behind first-place Switzerland.

Anholt affirms it has been Canada’s stance against Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats. Respondents frequently expressed ‘admiration for the country’s courage, independence, and resolute position during trade and political conflicts’.

This week, CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten chimed in, showing from his analysis of two 2025 Pew Research Centre surveys that the American public itself is more positive about Canada than it is about the President. Enten ranks President Trump with a popularity rating of minus 10, and Canada plus 49. He commented, “When you pick on Canada as the United States president, you are picking on a country that the American people adore.”

What does all this mean?

The reasons for the US slide are pretty obvious. Trump’s disruptive policy of imposing punitive unilateral tariffs on US trading partners, while abandoning global institutions that support open markets and free trade, accompanied by termination of most US support for international development and health programs, and the combative nationalistic language used against even longstanding US allies have all rankled world opinion.

But Canada’s jump in the standings deserves some explanation. Anholt says Canada has itself, as well as Donald Trump, to thank.

This year, the NBI survey asked a new open-ended survey question, “whether overall opinions of other countries have changed over the last year for better or for worse, and for what reasons.” Worldwide, 27.7% of respondents volunteered that their views of Canada had become more positive in 2025, a jump that Anholt considers startling.

Respondents cited usual impressions about Canada such as high quality of life, the social welfare system, educational resources, etc.  In another survey that Anholt’s organization performs, the “Good Country Index,” Canada indeed ranks 7th in the world. The US ranks 50th, one notch above Colombia which the Trump Administration has sanctioned for allowing the drug trade to expand.

But obviously, in 2025, something more has been noticed about Canada beyond our governance and social benefits.

Anholt affirms it has been Canada’s stance against Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats. Respondents frequently expressed “admiration for the country’s courage, independence, and resolute position during trade and political conflicts.”

I have reported from the UK and the EU on the unprecedented rise there in media attention paid to Canada’s election this spring, focused on resistance to Donald Trump’s predatory threats and blandishments. The coverage emphasized Mark Carney, for his leadership of the steep rise in the Liberal Party’s fortunes.

Carney is a known and respected figure for his work as governor of two G7 central banks, and came across in these media reports as a leader experienced with big-picture economic issues. UK and European reporting seemed envious of Canada, perhaps because of a dearth of personable and compelling leadership in their own countries at this time, but also because their own national governments and the EU Commission had seemed to make getting on Trump’s right side their diplomatic priority at a time of crisis.

Canada’s recent electoral experience is a shot in the arm for those who see democratic politics in so many places sliding toward the populist extreme right, with its “no compromise” stances on conflictual issues.

In recent months, Carney — and Canada — seem to show “more reasonable” centrist politics, open to compromise, compared to increasingly polarized electorates and negative recriminatory atmospheres in other democracies. It may be noteworthy that the big jump in esteem for Canada comes from G7 and democratic partner countries, and not among BRICS members.

So, as we all felt in Grade 3, it’s better to be popular than not. But to what end?

At a time when Donald Trump has displayed reckless disregard for, among other things, the “power” factor of soft power, Canada’s seems to be growing. Does that translate as leverage against a bully?

As Trump often says, “We’ll see what happens.”

Policy Contributing Writer Jeremy Kinsman served as Canada’s ambassador to Russia, high commissioner to the UK, ambassador to Italy and ambassador to the European Union. He also served as minister at the Canadian embassy in Washington. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian International Council.