Article content

The B.C. government’s stance on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion project is so compelling that half the country has taken its side.

The other half? It’s backing Alberta.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canadians evenly split over which province they support, B.C. or Alberta, in bitumen battle Back to video

That perfect 50/50 split is among the main findings of a new public opinion poll by Angus Reid Institute on the high-stakes pipeline debate that has transformed into a trade war.

Shachi Kurl, an executive director at the institute, said the escalating dispute has come to dominate the national conversation in recent weeks.

“Of course the big question is: Which side is winning, so to speak, the war for hearts and minds?” Kurl said Wednesday.

“One might say that neither side is winning, or one might say that both are winning equally.”

The fight heated up earlier this month when Alberta Premier Rachel Notley launched a boycott on B.C. wine in retaliation for B.C.’s proposal to restrict the expansion of bitumen shipments through the province.