Majority of Canadians back Westcoast LNG pipeline as support for B.C. projects grows

A majority of Canadians — including most British Columbians — support Enbridge’s proposed Westcoast LNG pipeline expansion, according to new polling that suggests opposition to major pipeline projects in B.C. continues to fade.New data released by the Angus Reid Institute found 55% of Canadians support the Westcoast LNG expansion, including 61% of respondents in British Columbia. Opposition in B.C. stood at just 17%, with supporters outnumbering opponents by roughly three to one.The polling also found many Canadians want Ottawa to move more aggressively on pipeline development. Nationally, 48% said the federal government is doing too little to build new pipeline capacity, while 31% said the current approach is about right. Just 21% said Ottawa is placing too much focus on pipelines.In British Columbia, 46% of respondents said the federal government is not doing enough to expand pipeline infrastructure.The results mark a noticeable shift in public opinion compared to earlier pipeline battles in Western Canada. In 2019, when debate over the Trans Mountain expansion dominated national politics, 27% of Canadians believed governments were too focused on pipeline construction. That figure has since dropped by six percentage points.The survey also pointed to changing attitudes on energy policy priorities. In 2019, a majority of Canadians — 55% — said environmental protection should take precedence over economic growth. .The latest data shows that position has reversed, with 61% now saying growing the economy should be the larger priority for Canada’s energy policy, compared to 39% who favour environmental stewardship.British Columbia has seen some of the most dramatic changes in opinion over the past decade.Earlier polling conducted during the 2010s showed majority opposition in the province to projects such as Northern Gateway and the Trans Mountain expansion. In 2012, 57% of B.C. residents opposed Northern Gateway, while 54% opposed Trans Mountain in 2014.Support for Trans Mountain later increased after federal approval under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, though opposition remained significant in 2019, when 38% of British Columbians still opposed the project.According to the latest Angus Reid data, opposition to pipeline projects in B.C. has now fallen below one-third, including opposition to Enbridge’s Westcoast LNG proposal.

Majority of Canadians back Westcoast LNG pipeline as support for B.C. projects grows

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