Nearly half of respondents (47%) believe the primary benefit to having a more diversified supply chain is reducing the risk of disruption from various events such as natural disasters.
Demand has been especially strong in the U.S., where retailers and other importers are stocking up at warehouses amid worries about new tariffs a possible dockworkers strike.
Hardware is a particularly sensitive arena given the U.S. and China are locked in a conflict over key technologies from semiconductors to artificial intelligence.
The Railway Association of Canada says that more than half of the country's exports are moved by rail, in addition to 70% of its intercity surface freight.