Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could lose 31 per cent of B.C. voters who supported him in 2015 if he approves the controversial Kinder Morgan pipeline project, a new poll commissioned by an B.C. NGO opposed to the project shows.

The poll, conducted by Insights West, found that three out of 10 Liberal voters in B.C. would be less likely to cast a ballot for Trudeau’s party in 2019 if the $6.8 billion pipeline project is approved.

While the federal government has until Dec. 19 to issue its decision on Kinder Morgan, an announcement is expected any day.

The Liberals won 17 seats in B.C. during the 2015 election — their best showing in the province since 1968 and 15 more seats than they took in 2011.

But there is “massive concern” about the impacts of this pipeline, said Sophie Harrison, a campaign coordinator with Dogwood Initiative – a non-government organization opposed to the project. Dogwood commissioned the new poll, which was released Wednesday.

“If they think this is something that will blow over by the 2019 election, they are grossly underestimating British Columbians,” she said.

The poll found that 74 per cent of British Columbians are less likely to support oil tanker traffic when they consider the potential effect on the 80-odd orca whales that live off the south coast.

“When you talk about the 400 oil tankers that are going to be on the coast if this pipeline is approved, then you start to realize just how much opposition there is,” she said.

The poll also found that 62 per cent of British Columbians agree that approving Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would contradict Trudeau’s campaign promises to take action on the climate change file and develop a new relationship with First Nations.

The results of the poll are based on an online study conducted between Nov. 17 and Nov. 21 among 805 adults in B.C.; it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Two Liberal MPs representing B.C. ridings have said their government doesn’t have the “social license” to approve the project, the Vancouver Sun reported.

Earlier this month, Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam MP Ron McKinnon sent a letter to Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr urging him not to approve the project, the Sun reported.

Terry Beech, the Liberal MP for Burnaby North-Seymour, said this summer that his community doesn’t grant permission for the project to move forward, the Sun reported.

“In the coming days, we’ll be looking for more Liberal MPs in B.C. to follow Terry Beech and Ron McKinnon’s lead, speaking out on behalf of constituents who oppose this project,” said Harrison.

In a statement, Alexandre Deslongchamps, a spokesperson for Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, said the government will consider various reports and assessments in making its decision on Kinder Morgan, including the report by the government’s ministerial panel, the National Energy Board’s recommendation report, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s assessment of upstream greenhouse gas emissions and extensive Crown consultations that were undertaken with Indigenous peoples.