Majority of Canadians support weaponizing oil amid US trade war: Poll
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Over 80% of Canadians support increasing the price of oil exports to the US if Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian goods.
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US President Donald Trump, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk prior to a NATO round table meeting at The Grove Hotel and Resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Dec. 4, 2019. (AP)
Canadians expressed their strong support for weaponizing oil against the United States should Trump wage an economic war on Canada.
A recent poll, conducted by Nanos Research Group for Bloomberg News, found that 82% of Canadians support unilaterally raining the price point of oil exports to the US if Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian goods but exempts oil.
The poll revealed that 72% of people in the western Prairie provinces, home to Canada's oil resources, are in favor of the measure.
Moreover, nearly 90% of people in the Atlantic provinces, which have offshore oil projects, support the use of export taxes if necessary, marking the strongest regional support found by the survey.
Additionally, the survey revealed that 79% of people across the country support imposing retaliatory tariffs on US imports, even if it means Canadians will end up paying higher prices for goods.
Oil is Canada's most significant leverage over the US, which imports around 4 million barrels daily from its northern neighbor, with many US refineries, especially in the Midwest, depending on heavy crude oil from Canada and lacking easy alternatives.
Canada warns Trump tariffs could leave US reliant on Venezuela oil
Canada’s foreign minister warned that the US could be forced to purchase oil from geopolitical rivals like Venezuela if it disrupts trade with Canada, the Financial Times reported.
Mélanie Joly told the Financial Times that if the US follows through on its threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, it would directly impact "real people" and harm relations between the two nations.
Regarding the heavy grades of oil produced in Venezuela and Canada on which American refineries depend, Joly said, "We ship oil at a discount which is, ultimately, refined in Texas. If it’s not us, it is Venezuela."
"There’s no other option on the table, and this administration doesn’t want to work with Venezuela," she added.
Read more: 'Dumbest' trade war fallout begins under Trump: WSJ
