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CALGARY — Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but a new survey suggests money troubles are putting growing strain on Canadian relationships.
The 2026 Love and Money Benchmark Survey from Money Mentors, an Alberta-based non-profit credit counselling agency, found 17 per cent of Canadians say their financial situation has led them to consider breaking up, separating or divorcing a partner at some point. That is up from 11 per cent a year earlier.
In the past year alone, 25 per cent of respondents said financial factors negatively affected their relationships or dating lives.
The survey also found emotional impacts linked to money disputes. More than half of Canadians in relationships, 52 per cent, said they experienced personal effects after arguing about finances, up from 47 per cent last year. About 34 per cent reported increased anxiety or depression, while 25 per cent cited poor sleep following financial disagreements.
Financial stress is also affecting honesty between partners. Eleven per cent admitted they have lied about their financial situation to avoid conflict, compared with eight per cent in 2025. Another 13 per cent said they have considered lying.
Day-to-day spending and lack of savings were cited as the most common sources of conflict. While 39 per cent of Canadians in relationships reported no financial disagreements, that figure has declined from 45 per cent last year.
At the same time, transparency levels remained relatively stable. Half of respondents said they are very open about finances and share everything, including a joint bank account, while 40 per cent keep separate accounts but share key financial information. Two per cent said they do not discuss finances at all.
Money Mentors says the findings point to rising affordability pressures across the country and is encouraging Canadians to seek financial advice early if money stress is affecting their relationships.
The survey was conducted online from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 among 1,502 adult members of the Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of that size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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