You've asked two different questions here: Relations on a national level, and reactions to immigration. Those are two different things. For example, during the 20th century, Canada saw a number of Russian refugees and defectors settle there, even as relations with the new Soviet Union were cold.

During the 19th century, Russians' view of Canada and Canadians' view of Russia generally improved. As part of the British Empire, Canada didn't have the ability to set its foreign policy during the 19th century. It only gained that ability after World War I.

British-Russian relations were relatively good at the start of the century, when both nations were at war with Napoleon. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, each nation saw itself as vying with the other to be the world's superpower. This led to the "Great Game" in central Asia and the Crimean War, which saw shooting break out between them.

Emigration from Russia was restricted for much of the 19th century, so it's important to remember that large numbers of Russians weren't arriving in Canada for much of the century.

There are important exceptions to that trend, particularly religious groups that made organized migrations to Canada from Russia. Starting in 1870, a large number of Russian Mennonites elected to emigrate to Manitoba to take advantage of the new province's farming prospects and for the prospect of religious freedom. This emigration continued for much of the decade.

The emigrants were welcomed, by and large, with open arms. In 1872, Canada's government passed the Dominion Lands Act, which encouraged immigrants to stake claims in the Canadian plains. Nationwide, most Canadians believed that immigration from Europe was important for national progress and even national survival, given the continued growth of the United States. Canadians believed that white settlement was important because First Nations didn't contribute to national progress.

In this light, Russians were welcomed alongside immigrants of other European nations. Asian and African immigrants were not welcomed.

If you're interested in further research on this topic, the Centre for Research on Canadian-Russian Relations has published a number of works that I would recommend. Of particular interest to you, given what you've said, is The Peasant Kingdom : Canada in the 19th-century Russian Imagination, which directly tackles both the questions you've asked here.