A majority of Canadians believe a lack of capacity for pipelines is a crisis: poll

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The majority of the country feels that a lack of pipeline capacity represents a crisis in Canada.

That is according to a new poll from Angus Reid.

The survey asked people whether or not they feel that a lack of pipeline capacity represents a crisis. Shachi Kurl with Angus Reid says the results might be a bit surprising.

“In every province across the country with the exception of Quebec, Canadians are inclined to say yes. That includes in British Columbia where people are still very divided this issue.”

A slight majority, 53 per cent, of respondents in B.C. call a lack of access to pipelines a crisis.

The poll also found that more than half of the country supports both the Trans Mountain project and Energy East, while only 19 per cent oppose both.

Around six-in-ten people across Canada say it is a crisis and around half of the country feels the Trudeau government hasn’t done enough to help.

Kurl notes that while the B.C. Government may be signaling about a united front on the pipeline issue, the people of B.C. are much more divided and have been for some time.

“Some opposition in B.C. or some opposition from the government of B.C. is taken as that is the sentiment of the entirety of the province, but indeed B.C. has been fairly divided on this question for a while.”

She pointed to Alberta’s strong views on the topic as being consistent with historical viewpoints.

“For a long time, Albertans have been very vociferous and very strident in their view that they want to see the pipeline complete.”

She also intonated the national conversation has started to change.

“The further away Canadians got in the past, from the geographic location of the pipeline, the more Canadians were inclined to say they didn’t have an opinion on the matter. That has started to change.”