High-speed rail pitch draws high levels of support and opposition: poll

Level crossing signals flash as a CN Rail train passes in Dartmouth, N.S. on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021.

OTTAWA — A new poll suggests the proposed Alto high-speed railway project is both the most-supported and the most-opposed item on the federal government’s list of major projects.

Probe Research surveyed 1,300 Canadians earlier this month and found 61 per cent of respondents supported the project, while 19 per cent opposed it to some degree.

The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because it was conducted online.

The controversial project is projected to cost between $60 and $90 billion. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on Ottawa to drop it, calling it a “boondoggle.”

The project also faces strong opposition from residents in communities along the proposed corridor who say they risk losing their homes and farms to make way for the rail corridor.

Conservative MP Scott Reid, who represents the Lanark--Frontenac riding west of Ottawa along the proposed corridor, warned earlier this month the project would “be the largest expropriation event in Canadian history.”

The poll suggested the rail project was also the major project most Canadians were familiar with -- 72 per cent of respondents said they were aware of the project.

Construction of the first phase of the 1,000-kilometre rail line, linking Montreal and Ottawa, is set to kick off in 2029 or 2030.

The poll also suggests a majority of Canadians back the proposed expansion of the Port of Churchill, with 55 per cent supporting it and only nine per cent opposing it.

Sixty-five per cent of respondents agreed the project made economic sense for Canada, the poll suggests.

The poll also indicates the largest share of poll respondents -- 24 per cent -- identified the proposed LNG export terminal in B.C. as the project which would have the biggest economic impact.

The Canadian Research Insights Council, an industry organization that promotes polling standards, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2026.