Mark Carney’s Seven Priorities: Setting Up a Report Card on Alignment, Impact, and Perceived Progress
July 3, 2025
When Mark Carney became Prime Minister earlier this year, he introduced a new way of governing – one that sought to bring strategic discipline to a sprawling federal government. Instead of issuing dozens of separate mandate letters, Carney delivered a single, unified set of seven national priorities to guide every department and minister in his government.
The signal was clear: Canadians should judge this government not on its talking points or press releases, but on its ability to make meaningful progress on these seven interrelated goals.
In this environment, measuring perception matters more than ever. Clear priorities create clarity for citizens but also accountability. If the public understands what the government says it’s doing, they’re better equipped to notice when it falls short or reward it when it succeeds.
This report based on a national survey of 1,500 adults conducted by Abacus Data from June 17 to 19, 2025 offers a baseline assessment of how Canadians feel about the Carney government’s priorities. It examines three things:
- Are Carney’s seven priorities aligned with what Canadians care about?
- Do Canadians think achieving them would make a difference in their lives?
- Do they believe the government has started making real progress?
We’ll track these three indicators every quarter during the Carney government’s mandate and make detailed results available to subscribers (sign up for the mailing list here).
Clarity and Simplicity in at a Noisy Moment
Before diving into the results, it’s worth reflecting on just how unusual it is for a federal government to distill its goals into a simple, shared list. In a political environment defined by fragmentation and institutional overload, Carney’s seven-priority model stands out for its clarity.
But as any communicator knows, clarity can be a double-edged sword. It builds trust when people see things moving but it can also make inaction more conspicuous.
That’s why we’re taking this research so seriously. This isn’t just another approval tracker. It goes deeper to understand how people are reacting to the things the Carney government is doing. And it shows where expectations are rising, where gaps are emerging, and where the government’s coalition may be growing restless.
One of the central questions this research set out to answer is deceptively simple: Are the Prime Minister’s priorities also the public’s priorities?
Our data shows that, on balance, the Carney government’s seven priorities are largely in sync with what Canadians say they want from their federal government. That alignment is strongest on economic and affordability issues but holds across the board.
The chart below outlines the public’s ranking of these priorities in terms of importance. Canadians were asked whether each item should be a top priority, lower priority, or not a priority right now.
Here’s what stands out:
1. Affordability –continues to lead
- 74% of Canadians say lowering costs and helping people get ahead should be a top priority, and another 16% consider it a lower priority.
- That puts it at 89% total support—a clear signal that cost-of-living remains the dominant issue for most people.
- Among Liberal voters, that number climbs to 91%.
Affordability also leads when you ask Canadians to pick their top three priorities and which would be the most meaningful personally.
Prioritizing affordability is clearly in line with public expectations. The challenge, as discussed earlier, is delivering visible progress on it.
2. Housing and Economic Unity Come Next
- 65% say making housing affordable through public-private partnerships and skilled trades should be a top priority, with another 21% calling it a lower priority (86% total).
- 66% say unifying Canada’s economy—removing trade barriers and fast-tracking key national projects—should be a top priority, again supported by nearly nine in ten Canadians (84% total).
3. Strong Support for Sovereignty, Fiscal Discipline, and Partnerships
- 60% say protecting sovereignty through military, border, and law enforcement improvements should be a top priority, with 25% saying it should be a lower one. That’s 84% in total, including 87% of Liberal voters.
- 52% say reducing government spending to allow private-sector investment and growth should be a top priority (81% total when adding in “lower priority” responses).
- 56% support forging a new economic and security partnership with the U.S. and allies as a top priority, with 24% saying it should be a lower one (80% total).
These numbers suggest that while the “kitchen table” issues dominate, there remains strong public support for Canada playing a larger strategic and economic role globally, as long as domestic needs are not neglected.
In particular, the spending restraint agenda, sometimes assumed to be a Conservative talking point, garnered support from 80% of Liberal voters. This suggests that much of the Liberal coalition and a large majority of Canadians today are increasingly concerned with fiscal prudence.
Interestingly, because of how much they have dominated news and opposition coverage, immigration and a trade relationship with the US are least likely to be listed as a priority.
In sum, three- quarters plus believe all seven of this governments’ priorities deserve a place on the list making this list well-aligned with the Canadian mindset, right now.
The Coalition That Elected the Liberals Is Aligned – But Watching Closely
Among those who voted Liberal, the rankings were quite similar to the national population. This is important.
It tells us that Carney’s priorities reflect the values and expectations of his electoral coalition. But alignment alone is not enough. The people who chose the Liberals over other options are invested in these priorities—perhaps even more so than the general public. They expect delivery. And they’re paying attention.
Do These Priorities Matter Personally?
We also asked Canadians whether achieving each of the seven priorities would be a good or bad thing for them personally.
Unsurprisingly, lowering costs and helping Canadians get ahead again tops the list, with 74% saying it would be good for them, including 49% who say very good. Housing affordability, economic unification, and protecting sovereignty also scored highly—each seen as good for at least 60% of respondents.
But some priorities feel more distant from people’s everyday experience. Only 55% say forging new economic and security partnerships with the U.S. and global allies would be good for them personally. And just 49% say the same for immigration reform.
This gap between macro-importance and micro-relevance is one of the biggest communications challenges facing the Carney government. Canadians are not opposed to big-picture ideas—but they will need clear examples to show how addressing these priorities has a tangible impact on their lives.
Alignment Isn’t the Problem. Expectation Management Might Be.
Taken together, these findings show that the Carney government has crafted a list of priorities that broadly reflects the public’s own ranking of what matters. The total support (top + lower priority) for each priority ranges from 77% to 89%—a remarkably tight and high band.
The Prime Minister and his team deserve credit for this. This isn’t a scattershot list designed to appeal to every niche audience. It’s a tight agenda that reflects national concerns, is relatively non-partisan in tone, and importantly makes it easier for Canadians to follow and judge performance. It also helps differentiate Carney from Trudeau, which was essential in his election victory. The more people think Carney’s government is like Trudeau’s, the less they like it.
But alignment is only part of the puzzle. The government’s next test is to ensure that Canadians don’t just support the priorities but start to feel progress on the ones they care about most. As the progress data reveals, that’s where the greatest vulnerability lies today.
Measuring Progress: What Canadians Feel Matters Most
Perhaps the most vital part of this report is our assessment of perceived progress.
We are not asking people to assess whether a bill has passed the House or whether a regulation has been published in the Canada Gazette. We are measuring how people feel about progress.
And this matters, because in politics, perception often becomes reality. If people don’t feel like change is happening, it can damage trust—even if, behind the scenes, the policy machinery is hard at work.
So how does the Carney government fare so far?
Mixed Grades on Momentum
The results are telling. Canadians were asked whether the government has:
- Completed the priority or made more progress than expected
- Is on track
- Made less progress than expected
- Hasn’t started
- Or if they don’t know
We have combined the first two options into a single metric – % On Track or Better – to summarize perceived momentum.
The highest-ranked priority on this metric is unifying Canada’s economy, with 49% saying the government is on track or ahead of schedule. Similarly, 48% say progress is happening on protecting sovereignty and 46% say so for the U.S./global partnership goal.
These are respectable numbers early in a mandate – and may reflect early speeches, symbolic visits, and signals of intent. Also, worth noting that this research was done just after the G7 but before the House of Commons passed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act
But the danger signs come into focus with the two most important priorities to voters:
- Only 32% think the government is on track on affordability.
- Just 30% say the same about housing.
Worse still: over half of Canadians believe the government is making less progress than expected or hasn’t even started on either of these. For example, 29% say the government has not started making housing more affordable, and another 25% say it’s making less progress than expected.
Among Liberal voters, the picture improves modestly – but still shows real risk. Just 42% believe progress is being made on affordability. That’s lower than the levels for economic unification, sovereignty, or international partnerships. The same goes for housing, with only 41% of Liberals saying the government is on track.
Why the Progress Gap Matters
The gap between priority and progress has real political implications.
When people care deeply about an issue and don’t see movement, it can create frustration, disengagement, or even backlash. The danger is not just that people will say the government is “not delivering”, it’s that they stop believing it can.
It is worth noting that the two issues with the least amount of movement are the priorities Canadians care most about- and say have the biggest repercussions on their lives.
In this environment, early signs of motion can punch above their weight. A highly visible investment. A strong first set of results. A well-communicated partnership. These can all shift the needle not just because of the substance, but because they begin to change the storyline.
A Framework for Understanding Government Effectiveness
The scorecard approach we’re using – Priority, Personal Relevance, Perceived Progress – is more than a polling framework. It’s a way of assessing the government’s ability to align policy with lived experience. And it’s the approach we take with the custom work we do with our clients.
Here’s a summary view:
The story this tells is simple:
- The top two issues for Canadians are affordability and housing.
- They feel those are where the least progress is being made.
- Unless that changes over the next year, it may impact how the Carney government is judged.
Final Thoughts: Momentum Is the Message
Mark Carney’s priorities are clear. The public mostly agrees with them. But clarity raises expectations.
If this government is to succeed it must show that the machine of government is delivering on the things people care most about.
And if it wants to hold the coalition that brought it into office, that progress must be felt, not just announced.
We’ll be back in the fall with the next report card. And we’ll be watching to see whether perception catches up with ambition.
Subscribe or Request the Full Report
This baseline assessment is part of our new Government Priorities Tracker. Organizations can subscribe to receive quarterly updates, crosstabs, and tailored briefings on how public opinion is evolving. Sign up here to learn more.
About Abacus Data
We are Canada’s most sought-after and influential full-service market and public opinion research agency.
But what we really do is identify the unmet needs of your audience and develop strategies for you to meet those unmet needs first.
Through qualitative and quantitative research methods, our deep experience and and wide perspective, we ask the right questions that capture insights, show you where things are going to be, and help our clients navigate some of their biggest challenges, deepen relationships with customers and stakeholders, and better understand the road ahead.
About David Coletto
David is one of Canada’s best known and most respected public opinion analysts, pollsters, and social researchers. He works with some of North America and Europe’s biggest and most respected brands, associations, and unions andis frequently called upon by news organizations,
to assess public opinion as events happen.
In January 2024, The Hill Times recognized him as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Canadian Politics noting, “when David Coletto releases polling numbers, Ottawa listens.”
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Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted with 1,500 Canadians from June 17 to 19, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
This research was paid for by Abacus Data Inc.
