A poll shows that over half of Canadians support strengthening trade with China

On the occasion of Canadian Prime Minister Carney's visit to China this week, the latest poll released by the polling company Ipsos shows that over half of Canadians support more trade with China.

According to a survey released by Ipsos on the 9th, when asked if they support a trade agreement between Canada and China, 14% of respondents answered "very supportive" and 40% answered "somewhat supportive", with a total support rate of 54%; 21% of respondents answered 'relatively opposed', 11% answered 'strongly opposed', with a total opposition rate of 32%; Another 14% of the respondents replied 'I don't know'.

This is a partial result of a survey conducted by Ipsos on 2001 Canadians aged 18 and above between December 5th and 11th, 2025. More than half of the respondents support Canada reaching a trade agreement with China, which is a significant improvement from the 2020 survey conducted by the same institution where many Canadian respondents hoped to reduce their dependence on China's trade. According to the analysis of this survey by Ipsos, the current data reflects that "in the face of uncertainty in its relationship with the United States, Canada is increasingly aware of the need to diversify its trade relations".

Kani will depart for a visit to China on the 13th. According to Agence France Presse on the 11th, a spokesperson for Carney stated that the visit aims to "strengthen cooperation in the fields of trade, energy, agriculture, and international security". Gordon Houlden, former Canadian diplomat and dean of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, said in an interview, "This is a huge progress." He said that if "some of the commercial issues affecting our exports stem from political factors, then addressing these political roots may or should have a positive impact on trade

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the 11th, Kearney's parliamentary secretary, Cody Blois, stated in a television interview that Kearney hopes to "recalibrate" the once cold relationship between Canada and China and explore economic opportunities between the two countries. He also stated that the upcoming visit to China is a continuation of the turning point in bilateral relations, and Carney believes there is an opportunity to establish a partnership.