POLL: Canadians mostly split over Kinder Morgan pipeline... except Alberta

Feb 23 2018, 1:44 am

The Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion has caused a rift between British Columbia and Alberta, with wine being boycotted, bitumen transportation being restricted, and shade being thrown all over the West Coast.

While each province’s respective premiers have been clear about their positions the Angus Reid Institute decided to ask the rest of Canada what side of the sand-drawn line they stand on.

The survey was conducted online between February 15 and 19, gathering information from a sample of 2,501 Canadian adults across the country.

Alberta appears the most united on the issue, with 82% of those surveyed standing by the Alberta government and only 18% on the side of BC.

kinder morgan

Canadians stating which government’s argument they find most persuasive (Angus Reid Institute)

The respondents across the provincial border were a little less sure of their own government, though the majority still fell in with Premier John Horgan: 58% to be exact, leaving 42% of respondents from BC favouring Alberta’s stance on the dispute.

Looking at the nation as a whole, Canadians were actually split directly down the middle, with 50% of those surveyed finding the BC government’s argument more persuasive, and the other 50% voting for Alberta’s.

Broken down by province, the survey shows that respondents from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario were on the side of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, and that BC, Manitoba, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces all favoured Horgan’s government in the pipeline feud.

kinder morgan

What side Canadians are on in the pipeline dispute, by province (Angus Reid Institute)

Just over half of those surveyed agree that the federal government should have the final say on energy projects (53%), though the other 47% believe that provincial governments should have the power to veto these types of projects in their jurisdictions.

kinder morgan

Canadians on whether the federal government should have final say on energy projects (Angus Reid Institute)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated at the beginning of this dispute that the pipeline expansion will be built, though Notley has called on the federal government for more decisive action on multiple occasions throughout February.

While Canadians across the country may appear ideologically divided, the rift between the two provinces seems to have reached a boiling point this week, with Alberta running advertisements in BC papers and British Columbians rallying to protest the project less than 36 hours later.

See also
Chandler WalterChandler Walter

+ News
+ Politics
ADVERTISEMENT