Most Canadians would support a Huawei 5G ban: poll

Roughly half of Canadians support banning Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd from Canada’s 5G networks but more than a quarter have yet to make up their minds on the issue, according to a Globe and Mail/Nanos Research poll. Eighteen per cent said the United States, Australia and New Zealand are overreacting by banning the Chinese-based telecommunications equipment manufacturer from providing next generation network technology, and believe Canada should not follow their footsteps. Specifically, 53 per cent were in favour of a ban, 18 per cent voiced opposition to the notion and 28.9 per cent said they don’t know where they stand. The demographics breakdown suggests that Ontarians, men and older Canadians over the age of 55 were somewhat more likely to show opposition to the company’s technology entering Canada’s 5G networks, while support for the company’s 5G ambitions was somewhat stronger in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec. In general, the poll suggests the country currently has a largely negative outlook on the company. Nearly two-in-three Canadians hold overall negative opinions about the company, according to the pollster. The data shows 34.1 per cent of respondents said they have a negative impression of the company, while 31 per cent said somewhat negative, and 9.9 per cent somewhat positive. Only 2.4 per cent said they had a positive impression of the company. Nearly a quarter were unsure. The poll follows months of political clamouring for a 5G ban. U.S. politicians and Canada’s Opposition Conservatives have been ramping up pressure on the Liberal government with frequent calls for Ottawa to limit Huawei’s access to Canada’s 5G networks. Both have cited national security concerns of potentially facilitating Chinese spying and the prospect of injuring Canada’s relationship with other ‘Five Eyes’ countries, which the government shares intelligence with. Last month, with less than a year before the next general election and amid high-profile detentions of two Canadians in China and Huawei’s CFO in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would ignore political pressure and public opinion when it comes to deciding on whether to ban the company from 5G networks. He said he would instead rely only on expert opinion. Trudeau at the time also acknowledge the high-stakes costs of the situation to Canada’s telecom sector. Some analysts have downplayed how much such a ban could hurt the sector, after a newspaper article suggested it could cost around a billion dollars.

Most Canadians would support a Huawei 5G ban: poll

Brief | January 9, 2019

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Most Canadians would support a Huawei 5G ban: poll

Brief | January 9, 2019

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