OTTAWA – U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs — and the spike in Canadian nationalism they inspired — are being described as the “dominant story” of 2025.
The tariffs story was selected as The Canadian Press News Story of the Year in an annual survey of editors and news directors in media organizations from across Canada.
Here’s what voters had to say:
“There isn’t a single Canadian, I believe, who hasn’t felt the impact of the tariff war. It is the dominant story of 2025.”
— Dan Charuk, Metroland Media
“This story affected Canadians from coast to coast, and the actions of the Trump administration have widespread implications for Canadian industries. The rise in Canadian patriotism came at a time when fractures had formed between the various provinces and helped bring back a sense of unity.”
— Karen Bartko, Global News
“For many, this kind of news is unprecedented. Everybody says it’s amazing to watch what is happening in D.C., but our daily lives have been drastically affected, and I think Canadians surprised the world with the growing patriotism.”
— David Kirton, Rawlco Radio
“No Canadian takes kindly to a cross-check under the chin after the whistle. That’s what we got from Trump, and we responded just like we would on the ice.”
— Glen Nott, Metroland Media Group
“From January to December, we haven’t had a month where tariffs haven’t been one of our top stories.”
— Eileen Bell, Corus Entertainment Edmonton
“No other news story around public policy has affected Canadians so deeply. This affects the epicentre of Canadian culture, mobility, identity and economic conditions.”
— Jim Poling, Waterloo Region Record
“It brought much of the country together, impacted the federal election and pushed forward interprovincial trade.”
“Certainly there may have been different stories regionally that caught locals’ attention, but no other story dominated the headlines so consistently from coast to coast.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2025.
