The University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy program has documented Canadians' evolving support for oil and gas since 2020. Today, its latest edition—which asks respondents the same questions about energy every year—shows the changing attitudes towards our country's oil and natural gas sector.
Conducted by Nanos Research between January and February, the latest survey in the series found that tariffs are positively influencing Canadians' attitude and outlook on energy and its contribution to our overall wealth and prosperity.
Nearly nine in 10 Canadians, or 88% now say oil and gas is important to our current economy—a record high since November 2020. Additionally, 70% of respondents agreed that oil and gas is also ‘important’ for the future, a huge 29-point upswing from when polling began more than four years ago.
Below, we review the highlights of this latest survey showing widespread support for oil and gas across the country and briefly discuss what actions we need to take to secure our economy amid an increasingly unpredictable relationship with our largest export market and trading partner.
- Supermajority of Canadians Support Oil & Gas Development: POLL
- Most Quebecers Support Revival of Oil & Gas Pipelines: POLL
- Majority of Canadians "Agree" Canada Needs New Pipelines Sea to Sea: POLL
Poll Highlights
• 88% of Canadians rate oil and natural gas as important to Canada’s current economy, up from 79% in August 2024
• 70% of Canadians say oil and natural gas is important to Canada’s future economy, up 11% versus August 2024
• 62% of Canadians agree that Canada should expand oil and gas exports to help the world have more secure energy supplies, up 10% from January 2024
Oil & Gas and the Canadian Economy
It’s no secret that oil and gas play an instrumental role in the health of the Canadian economy. The sector accounts for a significant share of our exports every year, supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, and generates countless billions in government revenues. For example:
- 20% to 25% of our total merchandise exports are oil and gas every year [2]
- 900,000 jobs are supported by oil and gas across the country [3]
- $1.1 trillion in government revenues are projected to be created by the sector between 2000 and 2032 [4][5]
For Canadians, oil and gas is an irreplaceable part of our national economy. Without it, our standard of living would be dramatically reduced, along with our ability to pay for much needed social programs such as healthcare, education, and law enforcement.
It’s Time to Build New Energy Infrastructure
As the University of Ottawa’s latest polling shows, an overwhelming majority of Canadians recognize the vital role oil and gas plays in driving our current and future economy.
It’s time for Canada to act decisively and build new cross-country trade infrastructure necessary to secure our economic independence from the U.S. This includes pipelines, LNG plants, refineries, ports, railways, and other critical infrastructure projects that must be prioritized to ensure Canadians do not find themselves in the same precarious challenging economic situation as we do today.
Building now ensures a resilient, future-ready Canadian economy for decades to come, and a large majority of Canadians support these new projects. Let's get to work!
SOURCES:
1 - https://www.uottawa.ca/about-us/news-all/oil-gas-key-canadas-economy-future-energy-policy-according-new-national-poll
2 - https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/canadas-oil-and-gas-sector-barrels-ahead-with-record-annual-exports/
3 - https://www.capp.ca/en/our-priorities/energy-and-the-canadian-economy/
4 - https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/495-billion-in-government-revenues-from-the-canadian-oil-and-gas-industry-projected-over-next-decade/
5 - https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/755-billion-the-energy-sectors-revenue-contribution-to-canadian-governments-2000-2021/