Summary:
- Canadians support oil and gas exports to strengthen global energy security
- Canadians see important role for oil and gas in national economy
- U.S. trade/tariff war has Canadians looking to distance themselves from our neighbor’s energy and climate policies
Donald Trump’s shakeup of the worldwide order seems to have cemented a change in how Canadians view their energy needs and priorities according to a new survey commissioned by the University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy program.
Trump’s return to the White House has ushered in a trade war and tariffs that have influenced attitudes and outlooks of Canada’s energy policies. Trump’s shakeup of global energy policies arrived as Canada enters a federal election campaign.
The poll conducted between late January and early February by Nanos Research found:
- Nearly nine in 10 Canadians say oil and gas is important to Canada's current economy and 70% say it is important for the future – a 29-point increase from 2020.
- Canadians do not want the country to align its energy or climate policies with the United States.
- Canada should expand oil and gas exports to increase global energy security.
“This research will help the general public, as well as policy and industry leaders, to better understand the views of Canadians about the current and future of oil and gas in the country's economy,” says Positive Energy Chair Monica Gattinger, a Full Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences’ School of Political Studies. “As momentum grows in Canada to expand internal trade and diversify the country’s exports, knowing where the public stands on the role of oil and gas is crucial.”
The University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy program brings together academic researchers and senior decision-makers from industry, government, Indigenous communities, local communities and environmental organizations to determine how to strengthen public confidence in energy decision-making.
“Canadians indicated they did not want us to align our energy and climate policies with the United States, but that they do support the expansion of Canada's oil and gas exports to help the world have more secure energy supplies,” adds Gattinger, who is also Director of the Institute for Science, Society and Policy.
This dramatic shift following Trump’s return does not come as a complete surprise as a Positive Energy poll last year found energy affordability was reducing Canadians’ desire to take climate action. Support for oil and gas has also been on the upswing over the last five years.
Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1077 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between January 31st to February 3rd, 2025 as part of an omnibus survey.
Media Requests: [email protected]