January 21, 2026 — New survey research from Pollara Strategic Insights finds that Western Canadians are broadly supportive of the federal government’s Major Projects Office (MPO), despite relatively low levels of detailed awareness. While only 6% say they feel familiar enough to explain the MPO to someone else, nearly four in ten Western Canadians have at least heard of it, with awareness highest in British Columbia. Once the MPO’s mandate is described, support rises to 72%, with opposition limited to 11%, indicating substantial public openness to coordinated, streamlined approaches to major project approvals.
The survey also finds strong, consistent support for major resource, energy, and infrastructure projects once respondents are given information. Across the West, support for projects under MPO review clusters in the high-60s to low-70s, with awareness highest for projects located in respondents’ home province. In British Columbia in particular, familiarity is strongest for large LNG and electricity transmission projects, reinforcing that local relevance and clarity play a central role in shaping public acceptance.
These results are based on an online survey of N=3,800 adults in Canada’s four western provinces. The survey was conducted from December 5 to 20, 2025, and data were weighted to reflect the age, gender, and regional distribution of the population based on the most recent Census figures. Pollara Strategic Insights is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), and this research was conducted in compliance with CRIC standards.
For more select findings from this study, please see our report and data tables. For deeper insights, see The Pollara Substack.
