A new poll has found that Canadians don’t trust Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.
In a survey, Canadian public opinion was found to be against allowing Huawei to be a supplier for the new generation of ultra-fast wireless networks that are now being built by Canada’s telecommunications companies.
An Angus Reid Institute online poll found that 69% of respondents are against the federal government allowing the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker to be involved in Canada's fifth-generation wireless networks, also known as 5G networks.
The survey also found that 66% of respondents had a negative view of China as a whole, up from 51% in 2018. The poll comes as the United States tries to convince allies such as Canada to bar Huawei as a threat to national security because of the Chinese government's influence and involvement with the company.
The U.S. government has warned that China could require Huawei to gather sensitive information flowing through its equipment, an allegation that the company says is unproven and against its business interests.
The Angus Reid Institute said 43% of 1,499 respondents polled in November said Huawei shouldn’t be allowed into Canada's 5G networks and 25% said it probably shouldn't be allowed.
