Canadians have differing levels of comfort with foreign direct investment, depending on which country is doing the investing, an annual poll from the Asia Pacific Foundation has found.
The survey results showed high levels of support for investment from Japan, South Korea and India, as well as the United States.
But Canadians were more nervous about foreign direct investment from China, with 49% saying they did not support investment from the world's second largest economy compared to 42% who answered positively.
The poll also showed that Canadians are concerned that investment from China or the United states could lead to Canada's natural resources being controlled by those countries.
In a commentary, the Asia Pacific Foundation compared Canadians' views of trade with Japan with their perception of China, and noted that while decades ago North Americans viewed Japanese technology and products as inferior, that view has now reversed.
According to the poll results, Canadians currently associate Chinese companies with phrases like "environmental damage" and "poor labour standards."
"Barring significant socio-political change in China, Canadians are only likely to warm to Chinese investment if they see Chinese companies making a positive contribution to Canada," reads the commentary.
The poll of 1,548 Canadians was conducted by Ekos.
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