After Diego, Crown Royal’s parent company, announced it would shift jobs from Ontario to the United States, Premier Doug Ford called for action — and Canadians agreed with him. While the issue is more nuanced given that the spirit will continue to be produced in Canada (and bottled in Valleyfield, Quebec for the Canadian market) what we have sought to test is the perception of Canadians related to this news story and Premier Ford’s remarks.

Our latest spark*insights national survey (September 5–8, 2025, 2,536 Canadians) shows 77% support Premier Ford’s position.

In Ontario, where the Amherstburg plant is set to close, backing is especially strong. But the feeling isn’t limited to Ontario — support holds firm across the regions and across income levels. It’s notable that higher-income households have an almost 10-percentage point bump in approval for the Premier’s position relative to lower-income households.

Also notable, is how broadly the support for this position crosses political party lines. And that it is actually those who voted Conservative in the last federal election who were the least favourable towards the Premier’s position and remarks: 84% of Liberals, 84% of NDP’ers, 84% of BQ voters said they were supportive of the Premier’s views and remarks, while only 72% of Conservatives shared that sentiment.

Premier Ford has kept the pressure up this month, suggesting Crown Royal could even be pulled from LCBO shelves. And if he were to do that, Canadians are telling us they’re with him.