Two-Thirds (68%) of Canadians Agree Harper Government Should Stop the Sale of Canadian Companies to All Foreign Investors, Three Quarters (74%) Agree Sales to Foreign-Owned State Enterprises Should Stop

Toronto, ON - Most Canadians want to put a stop to the sale of Canadian companies to foreign investors - particularly if that investor is a state-owned enterprise - according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. Two-thirds (68%) of Canadians `agree' (29% strongly/38% somewhat) that `the Harper government should stop the sale of Canadian companies to all foreign investors'. Just one in three (32%) Canadians, however, `disagree' (7% strongly/25% somewhat) that the government should stop the sale of companies to foreign investors.

British Columbians (72%) and Atlantic Canadians (72%) are the most likely `agree' that the Harper government should stop the sale of Canadians companies to foreign investors, followed by Quebecers (70%), Albertans (68%), Ontarians (66%), and residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (61%). Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (39%) are most likely to `disagree' that the Harper government should prohibit sale of Canadian companies to foreign interests, with Ontarians (34%), Albertans (32%), Quebecers (30%), British Columbians (28%), and Atlantic Canadians (28%) all trailing behind the Prairie Provinces (39%).

Even more Canadians want the Harper government to put a stop to any sale of Canadian companies when the buyer is controlled by a foreign government. Three-quarters (74%) of Canadians `agree' (30% strongly/44% somewhat) that `the Harper government should prohibit the sale of Canadian companies when the buyer is owned by a foreign government, something known as a state-owned enterprise'. Just one-quarter (26%) `disagree' (6% strongly/20% somewhat) that the Harper government should prohibit sales to buyers that are state-owned enterprises.

Atlantic Canadians (80%) most `agree' that these type of sales to state-owned enterprises should be prohibited, followed by Ontarians (76%), Albertans (76%), British Columbians (74%), Quebecers (72%), and residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (67%). One-third (33%) of Saskatchewan and Manitoba residents `disagree' with this statement, making the most likely to do so, followed by Quebecers (28%), British Columbians (26%), Albertans (24%), Ontarians (24%), and Atlantic Canadians (20%).

Recently, the Harper government decided to allow the sales of Nexen Inc. and Progressive Energy to Chinese and Malaysian state-owned enterprises, respectively, but most Canadians, however, believe that growth in this sector can happen without investment from foreign sources like China. A majority (56%) `disagree' (19% strongly/37% somewhat) that `if Canada wants its oil and gas sector to grow, it needs to attract foreign investment from countries like China', while a minority (44%) `agree' (9% strongly/35% somewhat) that foreign investment is needed for growth in these sectors to occur.

Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (67%), Atlantic Canada (58%), and Ontario (57%) are more likely than the national average to `disagree' with the notion of needing foreign investment to grow the oil and gas sector, followed by Quebecers (56%), British Columbians (55%), and Albertans (50%). Half (50%) of Albertans, however, `agree' that such investment is needed for sector growth, making them the most likely in Canada to believe this, followed by British Columbians (45%), Quebecers (44%), Ontarians (43%), Atlantic Canadians (42%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba residents (33%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 7th to 12th, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,021 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case the poll is accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points of the entire Canadian adult 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 Reid Public Affairs
416.324.2001
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.

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