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July 23, 2026 – The announcement of a proposed new oil pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast has opened a new front in Canadian energy politics, promising expanded access to overseas markets while renewing longstanding debates over economic benefits, environmental risk and provincial interests.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds the pipeline announcement producing sharply different political outcomes for the premiers involved. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has benefited, with her approval rising seven points to 46 per cent since June, while B.C. Premier David Eby has seen his approval slide to just 27 per cent, as uncertainty about his performance surges.
Eby appears to be receiving little credit from pipeline supporters, two-thirds of whom disapprove of his performance, while past BC NDP voters have grown considerably less positive about him — approval among that group has fallen from 78 per cent to 53 per cent in a single month. Smith, meanwhile, has seen gains among both past UCP (+7) and NDP (+6) voters, though a majority of Albertans continue to disapprove of her performance overall, and an October referendum on separatism looms over her recovery.
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Full Report and Methodology | B.C. Data Tables | Alberta Data Tables
Overview
Pipeline announcement produces sharply different outcomes for B.C. and Alberta’s premiers
In early July, Prime Minister Mark Carney joined Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to advance a proposed million-barrel-per-day pipeline to the B.C. coast. Premier David Eby signed a wide-ranging economic agreement with the federal government that maintains the tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast but leaves open the possibility of a new Alberta oil pipeline reaching the southern coast. Eby has stressed that B.C. has not endorsed the proposal, while acknowledging the province cannot constitutionally block it.
The two leaders have moved in opposite directions since the announcement: Smith’s approval has rebounded to 46 per cent, while Eby’s has slipped to 27 per cent, with a sharp rise in the share of British Columbians unable to offer an assessment.
Angus Reid Institute, online surveys, July 10-14, 2026 (Alberta, n=619) and July 17-19, 2026 (B.C., n=607).
SEE THE FULL FINDINGS HERE
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