Around 56% of British Columbians agree with the federal government’s decision to re-approve the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion last month.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved the expansion in a vote on June 18th, expressing that he and his Cabinet had done their due diligence and taken the concerns of Indigenous communities into account before making the announcement.
See also:
- Trudeau government approves Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
- Victoria youth join climate strikers across Canada in protest against Trans Mountain Pipeline
In a recent online survey conducted by Research Co., 56% of British Columbians stated that they agreed with the decision. Around 33% disagree, and 11% remain undecided.
“As expected, dissatisfaction with the way Ottawa handled this issue is practically universal among strong opponents (95%) and moderate opponents (73%) of the project,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.
“But 50% of British Columbians who moderately or strongly support the expansion are also unhappy with the federal government.”
On the other hand, the study also found that seven-in-ten people who live in the province agree that the pipeline will create hundreds of local jobs.
Meanwhile, Alberta’s advertisement campaign favouring the Trans Mountain pipeline tried to convince BC residents that expanding the pipeline would mean cheaper gas prices for British Columbians.
While 39% believed this ad, the majority of respondents either disagreed or were not sure about its veracity.
This study takes into account the opinions of around 800 adults who represent of a cross section of the population in BC, between June 22nd and 26th, 2019.
A shorter poll conducted by Victoria Buzz on June 18th received responses from over 9,300 followers.
Among them, 73% say they support the federal government’s decision to re-approve the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, while 27% disagreed.
