The majority of Canadians are putting the blame on Kinder Morgan for protests over the Trans Mountain expansion as tensions surrounding the project escalate among the country’s westernmost provinces, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.  

Fifty-eight per cent of those surveyed agree Kinder Morgan “could have done a better job of earning public support for this project and brought much of this [protest] on it itself."

Opposition to the pipeline has escalated in recent weeks after Kinder Morgan set a May 31 deadline to gain the clarity it needed for shareholders amid mounting political uncertainty.

Most recently, protesters greeted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his trip to London, England last week. The protest occurred after Trudeau concluded an emergency meeting in Ottawa with British Columbia Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, where the prime minister vowed the pipeline “will be built.”

Almost half (46 per cent) believe Horgan should be doing more to condemn pipeline protesters, with the number of those who agree with that statement rising among Albertans (64 per cent) and dropping among B.C. respondents (42 per cent).

In addition, 30 per cent of respondents strongly agree those protesting the pipeline project don’t represent the mainstream, while just eight per cent strongly disagree.

Six-in-10 Canadians said the pipeline would benefit the overall Canadian economy, with only 17 per cent saying it would have a negative impact.

The survey was conducted online between April 16 and April 17, 2018 among a random sample of 2,125 Canadians.