Digital Public Square

New report - Political Polarization in Canada: Divides Between the Left and Right
Digital Public Square ran a survey to see how Canadians perceive polarization, what they think are its causes, and what the left and the right think about one another.
Here’s what we learned.

In October 2025, Digital Public Square held the Polarization in the Public Square Conference, an opportunity for civil society, academia, and government to come together to explore solutions to the growing problem of political and social polarization in Canada.

68% of Canadians who identify as ethnically Chinese worry that foreign interference reports could fuel anti-Asian racism.

Our research shows that fear of backlash can weaken community engagement on one of Canada’s most urgent national security issues: transnational repression.

Is there a relationship between young Canadians’ trust in generative AI technology, declining trust in democratic institutions, and the spread of genAI-powered mis/disinformation?

We are glad to announce our final judge for Hack the Divide! Emily Traynor Mayrand is an expert in the downstream impacts of polarization. Her experience in academia, the practitioner space, and government, provides great perspective on the impact potential of projects.