Most Canadians oppose foreign ownership of critical mineral projects, survey finds

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While most Canadians support developing the country’s critical minerals, they don’t want to see it done by foreign companies, according to a new survey by the Angus Reid Institute.

Nearly 60 per cent of respondents said they considered losing sovereignty over such resources to be a larger threat to Canada than “missing out on development and jobs because of a lack of investment.”

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“Three-in-five (60 per cent) Canadians believe Canada should limit foreign investment; one-quarter (25 per cent) would welcome it, in general. But even among those who welcome foreign ownership only one-third (35 per cent) say they would do so without restricting what resources are available for investment,” reads the study.

“There are also many countries Canadians would ban from ownership in critical resources outright. The top of the list are countries already under various levels of global embargoes – Russia (69 per cent would restrict ownership), North Korea (67 per cent) and Iran (60 per cent), as well as China (59 per cent), where investment has been discouraged by Ottawa in key areas for a number of years.”

Over a third of Canadians would also “bar the U.S. from investing in critical resources in Canada” at 37 per cent, even as the trade war persists between the two countries.

However, 66 per cent of Canadians said they would “prioritize lowering tariffs and guaranteeing value-added jobs (64 per cent) in exchange for U.S. access to critical minerals.”

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Five of the 11 nation-building projects announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney for fast-tracking include critical minerals, such as nickel, graphite, and copper.

If approved by the Major Projects Office, the projects would be funded by both public and private dollars, with the majority coming from the private sector

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