As U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump fiercely battle for the White House in the U.S. election, they’ve largely focused their messages on the economy — and Canada is listening closely.
More than 90 per cent of voters in a recent Ipsos poll said the economy and their personal economic situation will factor into how they cast their votes, far ahead of all other issues identified as important in the election.
That reflects how most Americans, like Canadians, feel the cost of daily life remains difficult after two years of high inflation, which peaked in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic but has cooled more recently.
Each candidate has taken different approaches to explaining how they will tackle the economy. Harris has detailed a series of proposals to lower costs for Americans, including targeted tax breaks, health-care coverage improvements and financial help for first-time homebuyers. Trump, meanwhile, has focused almost exclusively on tariffs on foreign …