Majorities in every region of the country give the government a passing grade. Just under half of those who voted Conservative last year are satisfied with the way Carney has been handling this file.

Three out of four also say that getting the best deal is more important than resolving this trade dispute as quickly as possible. This view has been fairly consistent for the last 10 months. And it is the majority point of view in every region, and among the supporters of all major parties, including 65% of Conservatives.

What these numbers suggest is not that Canadians are disinterested or complacent - the evidence is much to the contrary - this is the issue which is most worrying to many people and they are following it pretty closely.

Instead, people see that achieving a good, and durable, result with this President and his Administration requires diligence, patience and a certain amount of creativity and flexibility.

They feel that the country is best served by waiting for the right conditions, and better proposals to emerge from south of the border, while in the meantime pursuing trade and investment diversification.