A new poll suggests most Canadians now see the Trans Mountain pipeline as a strategic national asset and want Ottawa to keep it. An Angus Reid Institute poll released Thursday found 54 per cent of respondents believe the federal government should retain ownership of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Just 23 per cent said they believe Ottawa should sell the pipeline to the private sector to recover taxpayer money. Twenty-three per cent said they were unsure. The findings come as the federal government mulls over the pipeline’s long-term future ownership. Some industry leaders argue it has become a strategic national asset as Canada looks to expand energy exports. The poll also found growing support for the federal government’s 2018 decision to buy the pipeline, with 42 per cent of those surveyed saying they agree with the decision to purchase the pipeline as opposed to 34 per cent in February 2025. The poll revealed a growing number of Canadians who say it’s appropriate for the government to invest in or own pipelines, with 56 per cent approving as opposed to 21 per cent who think pipelines should be exclusively owned and operated by the private sector. According to Angus Reid, the survey was conducted online from July 10 to 14, among a randomized sample of 2,649 Canadian adults. “Respondents are drawn from the Angus Reid Forum, a large-scale online panel developed to include Canadian residents in each of the 343 federal ridings in Canada and representative of the Canadian population by age, gender, family income, ethnic status and education,” Angus Reid said. “The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. “For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/– 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.”
