FILE PHOTO - TransCanada's Keystone pipeline facilities are seen in Hardisty, Alta., on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
January 26, 2021 - 3:30 PM
With U.S. President Joe Biden’s order to scrap the Keystone XL pipeline project, most Canadians appear to be on board with the decision, especially those in B.C., Ontario and Quebec.
The $8 billion pipeline project to move oil from Alberta to Nebraska was axed by President Biden with an executive order on his first day in office. Alberta has invested roughly $1.5 billion in the project, plus $6 billion in loan guarantees.
Two-thirds of Canadians said while Biden’s decision is a “bad thing” for Alberta, according to a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, most have accepted Biden’s decision and believe it's time to focus on other Canada-U.S. priorities.
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Alberta and Saskatchewan residents said if it were up to them, they would press the Biden administration to reverse course. A majority of those asked in B.C., Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, however, said it is time to accept the decision.
B.C. recorded a slightly higher number than the national average, with 60% of the 198 residents surveyed in the province saying it’s time to move on. A total of 1,559 residents were surveyed.
Survey results from a recent Angus Reid Institute survey on the Keystone Pipeline XL.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Angus Reid Institute
A majority of those across the political spectrum acknowledge the economic damage that the Keystone XL cancellation may cause to Alberta, but this sentiment is lowest among past NDP voters (52%) and highest among past CPC voters (87%), a concentration of whom are from Alberta, according to the survey.
The Keystone issue is also viewed through a different lens across the country.
Overall, 51 per cent of those surveyed say this is about the economy and jobs – a view held by a majority of those in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada. For 49 per cent, including at least half of those in B.C., Ontario and Quebec, the project is about environmental concerns and climate change.
The Angus Reid Institute is a national not-for-profit, non-partisan research foundation the provides information to the public through impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada.
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