73 Percent of Canadians Support Cross-Country Pipeline Project: Survey

Workers position pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in Abbotsford, B.C., on May 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Nearly three-quarters of Canadians would back a national energy corridor and pipeline extending from Alberta to Eastern Canada, a new survey suggests.

Fifty-one percent of the 1,120 Canadian adults surveyed by Nanos between June 1 and June 3 “support” a cross-country pipeline, while 22 percent indicated they “somewhat support” the concept.

Twelve percent of respondents said they “oppose” the idea of a pipeline while another 12 percent were “somewhat opposed” to the idea, the survey found. Three percent of Canadians polled said they were “unsure.”

The numbers have changed slightly since the last survey conducted by Nanos in February, when 54 percent expressed support for the project, while 21 percent indicated they somewhat supported it. The February survey also found that 11 percent were opposed while 10 percent expressed slight opposition and 4 percent were uncertain.

Men and older Canadians were more likely to support pipelines than women or those younger than age 35.

Approximately 83.4 percent of men expressed their support for the construction of a pipeline from Alberta to Eastern Canada, while 63.3 percent of the women surveyed shared that viewpoint.

Those 55 or older expressed the most support for the project at 77.2 percent, closely followed by the 35 to 54 age group at 75.5 percent. The 18 to 34 demographic was the least enthusiastic with 63.8 percent saying they were in favour.

Provincial Support

The prairie provinces—Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba—demonstrated the strongest backing for the energy corridor, although this support has dipped slightly from nearly 86 percent in February to just shy of 81 percent currently.

The Atlantic provinces also showed a slight decrease in support from 80 percent to 79.2 percent as did Ontario which dropped from 78.2 percent to 75.7 percent.

British Columbia and Quebec both showed a slight increase in support since February. The numbers rose from 73.9 percent to 74.5 percent in B.C., and from 59.9 percent to 60.2 percent in Quebec.

Quebec has long voiced anti-pipeline sentiments and rejected the GNL Québec project in Saguenay in 2021. Ottawa did the same in 2022. The Energy East project, which aimed to transport oil from Alberta to New Brunswick, was cancelled in 2017, in part due to a lack of support from both Quebec and Ottawa.

Meanwhile, Quebec Premier François Legault has shown greater willingness to pursue development projects in his province in recent months.

Legault noted during a recent appearance on Contact, a French-language podcast, that there is a growing openness among Quebecers for such projects due to the trade tensions with the United States after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian products.

“Quebecers are saying, ‘There’s no way Trump is going to control the oil we produce in Alberta.’ So, can we export it to Europe through Quebec instead of being stuck with Trump?” Legault said. “There’s openness. I feel things are shifting.”

He also referred to a prospective project that would extend through the northern region of the province and end at the port of Sept-Îles.

Legault’s comments were welcomed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith who has long championed the establishment of a coast-to-coast pipeline network to transport Canadian natural gas and oil to markets beyond the United States.

Smith called his comments a “massive breakthrough,” during her weekend radio show, Your Province, Your Premier last month, noting that she has been lobbying the Quebec premier to advance the development of natural gas resources in his province for some time.

Smith has also been advocating for a pipeline to transport oil from Alberta to the B.C. coast, but Premier David Eby has shown less enthusiasm for the project. He initially said he would not back a new pipeline, but later said he would not block the plan if there was enough money for the project as well as a company willing to take it on.

Federal Stance

The Liberal government has yet to prioritize a pipeline as one of its “nation-building” projects, although Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is not opposed to the idea. He has said a pipeline could play a role in plans to make Canada an “energy superpower.”

Carney has said, however, that a pipeline alone is not enough to achieve that goal, saying he is focused on a number of different energy projects such as nuclear, hydro, and carbon capture and storage.

Carney has said any pipeline project will also need to achieve “consensus” to move forward, noting that his government would not impose any project upon a province that does not support it.

A pipeline project could potentially be fast-tracked if the Liberals’  One Canadian Economy Act were to be made law.

The Liberals are hoping to push the legislation, also known as Bill C-5, through the House of Commons before parliament breaks for summer. The goal of the bill is to remove federal impediments to interprovincial trade barriers and expedite major projects like mines, ports, and pipelines.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc has described the legislation as a bid to diversify international trade in response to an “urgent” threat from Trump’s tariffs, because it removes many regulatory barriers.

It does, however, place limits on the government’s ability to fast-track cross-border pipelines. It states the minister cannot issue the approval document until the Canada Energy Regulator is “satisfied that issuing the document will not compromise the health or safety of persons.”

The legislation has faced criticism from indigenous and environmental organizations, as well as certain MPs, due to its provision allowing the government to exempt certain projects from existing laws and regulations.

The legislation was amended June 19 to withdraw the power it gave cabinet to sidestep the Indian Act after criticism from First Nations leaders.

The internal trade bill is scheduled for a vote on June 20 before the House of Commons breaks until September. A closure motion the government enacted to restrict debate, indicates the House cannot adjourn until the discussion on the legislation concludes and it is passed through the chamber.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.