Canadians are divided on whether the country should end its supply management system, one of the major sticking points in the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, a new Angus Reid Institute poll reveals.

The survey, released Wednesday, found 37 per cent of Canadians say the country should end supply management in order to secure a trade deal with the U.S., while 34 per cent say Canada should stand firm. The remaining 30 per cent of respondents said they’re unsure about what Canada should do.

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The country’s largest dairy-producing provinces are also split, with 35 per cent of respondents in Quebec and 34 per cent in Ontario hoping to keep the program, while a similar number of respondents in Ontario (39 per cent) and Quebec (32 per cent) say they would rather see it terminated.

Earlier this week, the United States and Mexico announced a bilateral trade agreement, leaving Canada on the sidelines. However, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland rejoined discussions Tuesday in Washington, D.C. and is aiming to salvage a trilateral deal by the United States’ Friday deadline.

The Mexico-U.S. trade deal has Canadians feeling less optimistic that their country can resolve its trade differences with its southern neighbours, with 45 per cent saying they feel less confident and one-third saying they are more optimistic, according to the Angus Reid Institute poll.