
About the project
By 2036, Canada’s four Westernmost provinces are projected to be home to more than a third of the country. Over the next 20 years growth in the West is expected to outpace every other region in the nation.
But as the West grows, so too does the chorus of voices expressing frustration over the economic influence and political clout these provinces believe they should have, relative to what they do have.
Against the backdrop of oil and gas production in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Northern BC, pressure to find markets for these products, and a fierce debate over whether Canada’s resource economy should be promoted or suppressed, public opinion data reveals antipathy towards Ottawa and national regulators that hasn’t been seen in nearly two generations.
With these issues dominating conversations and galvanizing populations across the country, the Angus Reid Institute has carried out an exhaustive study of Western Canada - through the eyes of both its own residents and those who live elsewhere in the country.
The Studies
Decades after Reform’s rise, voters open to a new ‘Western Canada Party’
Most Canadians, including westerners, say it’s unlikely the west would separate from the rest of Canada February 5, 2019 –
Fractured federation: Amid competing priorities, which provinces believe they give & get more from Canada?
Grievances in Western Canada & ambivalence towards Quebec highlight difficult interprovincial dynamics January 24, 2019 – One of the common
Six-in-ten Canadians say lack of new pipeline capacity represents a crisis in this country
Half say Trudeau government has been doing “too little” to build new capacity January 16, 2019 – Against the backdrop
What unites & defines the “West”? In a complicated confederation, less than one might think
A region often divided finds itself united by the belief that the federal government treats it unfairly January 30, 2019