MOOD
SWING An exclusive national survey shows energy matters to Canadians. But there are still dividing lines By Darren Campbell & Jeff Lewis Poll conducted by Leger Marketing
A
fter years of ambivalence, Canadians are finally taking a shine to the energy sector. Sure, they still fret that the industry is too dirty, its environmental footprint too large, and its practices too unsustainable. But they also recognize the tremendous impact it has on the Canadian economy and that the sector is making strides to improve its environmental and social performance. That is one big takeaway from an opinion poll conducted by the Alberta office of survey firm Leger Marketing. “There is an opportunity for Alberta to change the message here,” says Ian Large, Leger’s vice-president for Alberta. “To some extent we have to give up the angst over the National Energy Program and refocus the debate.
Energy is a national issue now, not a western issue.” Indeed. As British Columbia goes gaga over liquefied natural gas export terminals, Saskatchewan enjoys burgeoning oil production, Ontario cashes in on manufacturing jobs created by oil sands development and skilled tradespeople from Atlantic Canada fly en masse to Alberta’s bitumen belt, Canadians can see the impact the energy sector is having on their lives. And they are feeling increasingly good about it. This winter Leger randomly selected more than 1,400 Canadians from every region of the country except the North and got their opinions on a variety of energy topics. It is the second time Alberta Oil has conducted this kind of survey with Leger – the inaugural one was done in 2010.
Reprinted with the permission of Alberta Oil / May 2012