OTTAWA — A solid majority of Canadians support building new oil pipelines to both the West Coast and Eastern Canada, with economic security and reducing dependence on the United States emerging as the strongest drivers behind shifting public opinion.
New polling from the Angus Reid Institute found 63 per cent of Canadians support a proposed pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia, while 55 per cent back a second proposal to transport Alberta crude to refineries in Sarnia, Ont.
Support for the West Coast project remains stronger despite years of political opposition to new pipelines.
The survey found 62 per cent of British Columbians support the Alberta-to-B.C. proposal, a notable shift in a province where pipeline expansion has faced sustained resistance for more than two decades.
Support was strongest in Alberta, where roughly three-quarters of respondents backed the project, while Quebec recorded the lowest level of support at about 50 per cent.
Researchers found Canadians are increasingly viewing pipeline projects through the lens of economic and energy security rather than traditional environmental debates.
Fifty-five per cent said the strongest argument for the Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline is expanding access to overseas markets beyond the United States. Another 51 per cent cited oil’s importance to Canada’s economy, while 45 per cent pointed to job creation and economic growth.
For the proposed Alberta-to-Ontario pipeline, respondents ranked job creation as the most persuasive argument, followed closely by broader economic benefits.
Angus Reid Institute president Shachi Kurl said public opinion has shifted significantly from earlier pipeline debates.
“It indicates a strong level of support, given how fraught the debate has been about pipelines over the last decade and a half,” Kurl said.
She said recent trade tensions with the United States have prompted more Canadians to view pipelines as part of Canada’s energy independence and export strategy.
Despite the majority support, researchers cautioned public opinion remains fluid.
Only 47 per cent of Canadians said their views on the Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline are firmly established, while 53 per cent said they could still change their minds.
Kurl said factors such as declining oil prices, significant construction cost overruns or opposition from Indigenous communities could still influence public opinion.
The Alberta government submitted its proposed West Coast Pipeline Project earlier this month. The proposal would transport up to one million barrels of oil per day along the existing Trans Mountain corridor to British Columbia’s southern coast.
A separate proposal announced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford would carry crude oil approximately 3,300 kilometres from Hardisty, Alta., to refineries in Sarnia, Ont.
The Angus Reid Institute surveyed 2,649 Canadian adults online between July 10 and 14. The results carry a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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