POLL: Majority of Canadians want Ottawa to keep Trans Mountain pipeline

CALGARY — A majority of Canadians want the federal government to keep ownership of the Trans Mountain pipeline rather than sell the multibillion-dollar project to recover taxpayer funds, according to a new Angus Reid Institute poll.The survey found 54% of Canadians believe Ottawa should retain Trans Mountain because it is a valuable national energy asset, while 23% want the pipeline sold to the private sector. Another 23% said they were unsure. The findings come as Canada considers adding new pipeline capacity to the West Coast, potentially using portions of the existing Trans Mountain corridor. The federal government has previously maintained it eventually intends to divest the pipeline, which it purchased from Kinder Morgan in 2018..However, Trans Mountain president and CEO Mark Maki and Canada Development Investment Corp. CEO Elizabeth Wademan have recently argued there is a case for Ottawa to remain a long-term owner, potentially alongside indigenous partners.They have argued the operating pipeline has become a strategic national asset as Canada seeks to increase energy exports and considers additional westbound pipeline capacity. Public support for keeping Trans Mountain comes despite the massive cost of completing the expansion. The project ultimately cost more than $34 billion, nearly five times its original estimate. Canadians also appear increasingly comfortable with governments taking a direct role in pipeline infrastructure.The poll found 56% believe it is appropriate for governments to spend money on or own pipelines, compared with 21% who believe pipelines should be owned and operated exclusively by the private sector. Even in Alberta, where support for free-market energy development has traditionally been strong, 53% said government ownership or spending on pipelines is appropriate, compared with 28% who favour exclusively private ownership..Support was highest in Atlantic Canada at 66%, followed by Ontario at 63%, Saskatchewan and British Columbia at 54% each, and Alberta at 53%. Manitoba was the only region surveyed where support fell below half, at 48%. Attitudes toward Ottawa's controversial purchase of Trans Mountain have also shifted since the expanded pipeline entered service.Two-in-five Canadians, or 42%, now believe the federal government made the right decision to purchase and complete the pipeline, up eight percentage points from 34% in February 2025.Meanwhile, the number who believe Ottawa made the wrong decision fell from 32% to 25%. Another 34% remain unsure. The shift is particularly notable among Conservative voters.In 2018, 36% of Conservative voters said purchasing Trans Mountain was the right decision. That figure has risen to 47%, while Liberal support has remained virtually unchanged at 46%. The results mark a departure from Conservatives' traditional preference for private-sector involvement in the economy..An Angus Reid poll conducted in 2019 found 85% of past Conservative voters believed the economy should be left more to the free market, while 15% favoured greater government involvement and regulation.Today, 50% of Conservative voters say governments have a role in owning or spending on pipeline infrastructure. Angus Reid said energy sovereignty has become a key consideration against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term. When asked specifically about the future of Trans Mountain, 50% of Conservative voters said Ottawa should keep the pipeline as a national energy asset, while 32% favoured selling it to the private sector.Liberal voters were the strongest supporters of continued federal ownership at 65%, followed by 52% of NDP voters. Regional differences were also significant. Ontario residents were the most likely to favour keeping Trans Mountain at 61%, followed by Atlantic Canadians at 62%. In Alberta, 52% favoured continued federal ownership while 30% wanted the pipeline sold.Even in Quebec, where only 32% believe buying and completing Trans Mountain was the right decision, 44% nevertheless said Ottawa should keep the pipeline. Support for federal ownership drops when respondents are given indigenous ownership as an additional option. Under that scenario, 41% said Ottawa should keep Trans Mountain, 23% favoured a private-sector sale and 13% supported transferring it to indigenous ownership. Another 23% were unsure. The Angus Reid Institute surveyed 2,649 Canadian adults online between July 10 and 14.

POLL: Majority of Canadians want Ottawa to keep Trans Mountain pipeline

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