Internal PMO polls show huge support for major hydro, road, port projects
As the Carney government prepares to release its list of major projects it is prepared to fast-track to completion, new internal government polling done earlier this summer under the supervision of the prime minister’s office shows that Canadians overwhelmingly support projects that build up hydroelectric generation and transmission, highway system upgrades, and improved port infrastructure.
A majority of Canadians also support new oil pipelines, building liquefied natural gas terminals and installing offshore wind turbines — though there are some significant regional variations when it comes to support for those kinds of projects, according to those internal polls, copies of which were obtained by Global News through access-to-information requests.
Since last spring’s election, Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked premiers, Indigenous leaders and business executives what kind of “projects of national significance” ought to be on a list that qualify for expedited regulatory review and approval.
But the internal polls are the first evidence that the Carney government is sensitive to public opinion about the pick of potential resource projects and wanted public opinion research that might guide their choice. Carney and his cabinet are meeting this week at a Toronto hotel to sort out of some of these issues.
In two polls, in the last two weeks of June, the Privy Council Office (PCO) weekly polling program included a series of questions about the kinds of major projects Canadians could support. Each survey respondent was presented with a choice of 11 different types of projects and was asked to rate each one as to whether they strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose each type of project.
A majority of respondents across the country supported all 11 types of projects ranging from carbon capture to new oil pipelines to highways, though there were some significant regional differences.
For example, 81 per cent of Albertans supported new or expanded oil pipelines, tops among any region in the country. But nearly two-thirds of Quebecers (59.2 per cent) were also in favour of new oil pipelines, even though Quebecers have long been believed to be averse to any new fossil fuel project.
Asked specifically if they would support the federal government approving an oil and gas pipeline from Alberta and Saskatchewan to eastern Canada, the PCO pollsters found majority support in every region of the country but especially in Alberta and Saskatchewan (89 per cent and 90 per cent support, respectively). More than 82 per cent of Ontario respondents liked the idea; 80 per cent of Atlantic Canadians were supportive, and while Quebec support was lower, it was still at 58 per cent.
Quebecers were also far less enthusiastic about development of new nuclear energy facilities. Just 32 per cent of those in Quebec said they support nuclear energy while support of new nuclear in Ontario and Alberta was around 70 per cent.
In one of the weekly polls, a poll of 1,000 people done between May 20 and May 25, the PCO/PMO learned that 65 per cent of the country was in support of building a high-speed rail link between Toronto and Quebec City. Those in Ontario and Quebec were especially enthusiastic with 71 per cent and 76 per cent support respectively.
The PCO polling program uses live agents that probe the opinions of 1,000 Canadians every week. Agents survey Canadians via land lines and cellphones. Global News has obtained the raw data of the first seven weekly polls done after the election, beginning on May 20. While the polling is conducted by the Privy Council Office, it is supervised by the PMO, usually by the PMO’s senior manager for research and advertising Hilary Martin, a political appointee.
By law, PCO polls may not survey Canadians on vote intention or party preference.
The polls are circulated to the prime minister, his senior staff, cabinet ministers and deputy ministers and are often used to guide policy decisions.
One issue that the Conservatives have tried to prosecute is that Canada’s environmental and regulatory oversight is too much and takes too long. The Carney government polled on those two issues right away in its May 20 poll and the results were mixed.
About 35 per cent of Canadians thought the rules for environmental assessments for new energy or resource projects were “about right” while 23 per cent thought they were “too strict” and 21 per cent said they were “not strict enough”.
But 47 per cent of the 1,000 Canadians surveyed that week in May said those assessments were too slow.
Last week, the Carney government set up the Major Projects Office, which has a specific mandate to speed up those assessments. But, so far at least, the Carney government has not — as the Conservatives have demanded — substantially changed the rules that govern environmental assessments. Those moves would appear to be consistent with the government’s internal polling.
In the PCO/PMO poll done June 23-29, the pollster asked why respondents were supportive of whatever major project they preferred and 61 per cent said it was because resource projects will help make Canada’s economy more independent from the U.S.
David Akin is the chief political correspondent for Global News.
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