75% of Canadians support pipelines and say “approval process too long”

More Canadians support cross-country pipeline projects now than they did last year, according to a new Ipsos poll commissioned by the Montreal Economic Institute.

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More Canadians support cross-country pipeline projects now than they did last year, according to a new Ipsos poll commissioned by the Montreal Economic Institute.

Three-quarters of respondents now support the construction of new pipelines that would bring oil and gas across the country from Atlantic Canada to British Columbia.

The survey, published on Tuesday, found that the proportion of those who “strongly agree” was 14 percentage points higher than last year.

It was also the “strongly agree” category that accounted for the largest overall increase year-over-year.

Additionally, when asked whether the pipeline approval process was too long, 71 per cent of Canadians agreed that it was.

“While there has always been a clear majority of Canadians supporting the development of new pipelines, it seems that the trade dispute has helped firm up this support,” said Gabriel Giguère, senior policy analyst at the MEI on Tuesday. “From coast to coast, Canadians appreciate the importance of the energy industry to our prosperity.”

Even among Quebecers, where support for pipelines has typically been the lowest of any province, 67 per cent said they were in support of the Marinvest Energy natural gas project.

The natural gas pipeline and liquefaction plant project located in the province’s North Shore region was seen by a majority of Quebecers as a means to reduce European dependence on Russian natural gas.

When asked whether they would support the development of Quebec’s own oil resources, 54 per cent said they would, marking a six-point increase over last year.

“This year again, we see that this preconceived notion according to which Quebecers oppose energy development is false,” said Giguère. “Quebecers’ increased support for pipeline projects should signal to politicians that there is social acceptability, whatever certain lobby groups might think.”

Among Quebecers, 63 per cent said the approval process for major projects was “too long,” including environmental assessments, and that it should be reformed.

The MEI recommended that Ottawa and the Legault government revise their assessment processes to make the approval process “swift by default” in July.

The institute argued that there were better ways of ensuring an expedited process than those offered by the Carney government’s Bill C-5 and Quebec’s Bill 5, which attempt to find ways to bypass existing regulations.

“Canadians understand that the burdensome assessment process undermines our prosperity and the creation of good, well-paid jobs,” said Giguère. “While the recent bills to accelerate projects of national interest are a step in the right direction, it would be better simply to reform the assessment process so that it works, rather than creating a workaround.”