New polling: Quebec and B.C. voters in key swing ridings strongly oppose federal funding for a pipeline

Unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin Territories [OTTAWA], 27 May 2026:

New polling shows that seven in ten voters (68 per cent) in key ridings for the Liberal Party in Quebec and British Columbia oppose any federal funding for an oil pipeline to the West Coast, or any other fossil fuel expansion projects.

The polling from Liaison Stratégies, commissioned by Climate Action Network Canada, surveyed voters in five ridings in B.C. and six ridings in Quebec which flipped between parties or saw close races in the 2025 federal election.

Less than two weeks ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reaffirmed their commitment to an oil pipeline project and set a target for it to be approved by September 1, 2027—to strong opposition from B.C. Premier David Eby, Coastal First Nations, and civil society.

The pipeline currently has no private-sector proponent, and no real business case, as oil demand destruction accelerates in Asian markets. The project risks requiring large public subsidies to go ahead: for instance, the federal government spent more than $35 billion in direct funding for the TransMountain pipeline, which saw serious escalations in cost over the course of the project.

“The findings are clear: voters in critical ridings for the Liberal Party want the federal government to prioritize renewable energy, Indigenous consent, and solutions that shift our dependence away from costly oil and gas,” said Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada. “They do not want billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on a market failure of a pipeline—and they’ll hold their MPs accountable.

“Prime Minister Carney no longer seems to care about the reality of the climate crisis. The question is: does he care about the people who voted him into office?”

Key findings

Within the ridings surveyed:

• Seven in ten (71 per cent) respondents say they are concerned about climate change, including four in 10 who are very concerned. As well, 73 per cent are concerned about the impact of rising oil and gas prices on the cost of living
• More people oppose (50 per cent) than support (42 per cent) an Alberta-B.C. pipeline
• Fully 68 per cent oppose federal public dollars for a new pipeline or fossil fuel project, compared to 25 per cent who support it
  • In every riding polled, opposition to federal funding is above 60 per cent
• If an MP supported taxpayer money for a pipeline or fossil fuel project, 59 per cent say they would be less likely to vote for that MP. Only 13 per cent say they would be more likely
  • In every riding, at least half of voters say they would be less likely to support an MP who backed taxpayer money for a pipeline or fossil fuel project
• Seventy-three per cent say it’s important for affected Indigenous nations to give their consent before a project goes ahead
• Fifty-eight per cent want the federal government to prioritize federal funding for clean energy projects, compared to 12 per cent who think fossil fuel expansion should be prioritized, and 28 per cent who think it should be split equally
• Sixty-seven per cent oppose the rollbacks to environmental policies that the federal government has made over the last year
• Solutions that address both the climate and cost-of-living crises see high support:
  • Sixty-six per cent support a windfall tax on excess oil and gas profits
  • Seventy per cent support government policies and incentives to help households adopt clean technologies, such as heat pumps and electric vehicles, and improve energy efficiency
  • Seventy-three per cent support an East-West electricity grid supplied entirely by renewable energy and community- and Indigenous-owned projects

Methodology: Liaison surveyed a combined sample of 6,260 respondents across 11 federal ridings in British Columbia and Quebec in April 2026, using Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) technology. Participants were reached through random digit dialling (RDD) across both landline and cellular phone networks. 

The resulting data was weighted to match riding-level targets based on the 2021 Census, including age and gender. Results were then aggregated across the full set of surveyed ridings for the national report, with provincial breaks shown for British Columbia and Quebec. For the total sample, the margin of error is +/- 1.24 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Results may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Full polling results are available here.

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