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Canadians split over government purchase of Trans Mountain pipeline: Angus Reid

The decision by the federal government to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline project from Kinder Morgan Canada Limited has split Canadians down the middle, according to new public opinion polling from the Angus Reid Institute.
kinder-morgan-transmountainpipelinecredittransmountain
Photo: Trans Mountain

The decision by the federal government to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline project from Kinder Morgan Canada Limited has split Canadians down the middle, according to new public opinion polling from the Angus Reid Institute.

The poll finds equal numbers of Canadians saying the government made the right decision and the wrong decision (37% take each side), while a significant portion of the population is unsure (26%).

Angus Reid

Source: Angus Reid

“The debate rages on. Two-thirds of those who say the government made the right decision in buying the pipeline feel this way because they believe the project will be a good investment for Canadian taxpayers (66%). Opponents, on the other hand, say that the government has set a bad precedent for future resource projects by taking control of this one (64%),” the poll report stated.

Angus Reid

Source: Angus Reid

British Columbia residents mirror the national average on opinions of the government’s decision to buy Trans Mountain — 38% say it was right and 38% say it was wrong. Half of Alberta residents (51%) say the Liberals got it right while 28% disagree.

Overall support for the project is in line with previous Angus Reid Institute tracking. Roughly six-in-10 (57%) support Trans Mountain, up marginally from 55% in April.

Canadians are split close to evenly when asked if the government has done a good job on this file. Four-in-10 say they have (39%), slightly more say they have done a poor job (42%). Men are much more positive than women.

Daily Oil Bulletin