64% of Canadians Want Foreign Sales of Resources Blocked
When it comes to the sale of Canadian companies that develop key natural resources in Canada such as oil and gas, forestry and mining, a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News finds that most Canadians (64%) believe the federal government should ensure foreign buyers are not able to purchase these types of companies. On the other hand, just over one-third (36%) say foreign-owned companies should be allowed to buy these types of companies just like any other business.
Looking at demographic differences, the belief that the federal government should safeguard Canadian natural resource companies from foreign ownership increases with age, with those 55+ (71%) the most likely to feel this way compared to those aged 35-54 (63%) or 18-34 (55%). Conversely, younger Canadians are more likely than older generations to say that foreign-owned companies should be allowed to buy them, yet still fewer than half (45%) say so.
By region, those in British Columbia (77%), Alberta (73%) and the Atlantic (70%) are more likely to feel the federal government should block foreign ownership. Those in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (62%), Quebec (61%), and Ontario (57%) are less likely to align with this sentiment.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 25 and 27, 2025, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]
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