Almost one month after Canada and 11 other nations reached the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in Atlanta, Canadians remain sharply divided on whether such a deal is good or bad for the public at-large.

That is the finding of a EKOS poll commissioned by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, the results of which were released Today (Wednesday). The poll found almost an equal number of respondents supporting the TPP (41 per cent) and those who oppose the deal (38 per cent).

“Our findings reveal that Canadians are increasingly polarized toward the TPP,” the report read. “What is striking, however, is the higher level of expressed opposition to the TPP since APF Canada’s polling on this topic three years ago… And it is not because they are against free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries in the TPP zone.”

According to the poll, 66 per cent of respondents either strongly or moderately supported Canada having FTAs with other countries. Specifically, Canadians are highly supportive of bilateral FTAs with several TPP member states, including Australia and the United States (77 per cent support), New Zealand (76), Japan (70), Mexico (62) and Chile (61).

Support for non-TPP nations are somewhat lowered, although bilateral deals with The Philippines (54 per cent), India (52) and China (42) all received higher support rate than the TPP.

Stewart Beck, President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation, said the results reflect the lack of details released on the TPP.

“I think it’s human nature; what you don’t know, you are uncertain about,” Beck said. “On the whole, free-trade deals are something people have accepted and have seen the benefits of, to a degree… I think we’ve crossed the free-trade rubicon quite a while back. I think people understand the importance of NAFTA and have had a lot of discussion on CETA (Canada’s FTA with the European Union).”

The results echoed the fact Canadians are not well-informed on the details of the TPP. In three of the four questions on the specifics of the agreement, the most popular response among the 1,554 respondents was “don’t know” instead of a definitive “yes” or “no.”

Another telling aspect: 35 per cent of respondents believed falsely that China is a negotiating partner of the TPP, versus 20 per cent who correctly noted China is not a party to the 12-member talks.

“Right now, when people think about Asia, they think about China,” Beck said. “So when they think about the TPP, they think China has to be in it… China has become a major global player in the last 10 years, so it’s no wonder people are focused on it. 30 years ago, people were focused on Japan and the auto industry issues. People’s attention on Asia tend to focus on one country at a time, not realizing there are 21 members in APEC.”

Beck said he beleives the more people know about the TPP and realize the benefits, the more support there will be. He noted BC’s seafood industry, which should see significant opportunities in seeing the tariff barriers dropped in Japan - the world’s third-largest economy - as well as in growth markets like Vietnam.