Many Canadians support Carney’s airport privatization plan, poll finds

Many Canadians support Carney’s airport privatization plan, poll finds DAVID BAXTER OTTAWA THE CANADIAN PRESS PUBLISHED 31 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: An Air Canada aircraft takes off from Vancouver International Airport in July. Ottawa said this month it was courting private investors to take over operations of the country’s four biggest airports. DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Key takeaways This summary is AI-generated and editor reviewed. Learn more Forty-three per cent of Canadians support having private operators run the Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver airports, while 31 per cent oppose the idea and 27 per cent are unsure. Prime Minister Carney has said the government would retain ownership of the land and airports would remain subject to federal safety regulations, with revenue from private deals directed to smaller regional airports. Support is highest in Quebec at 47 per cent and lowest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba at 32 per cent. READ MORE A new poll suggests a large number of Canadians support the government’s idea to put private operators in charge of the country’s largest airports – but more than a quarter aren’t sure about it. The Leger poll finds 43 per cent of Canadians are in favour of having private operators for the Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver airports, while 31 per cent are against the idea. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents said they don’t know or are unsure about the proposal. Andrew Enns, executive vice-president Central Canada at Leger, said there will always be a part of the population opposed to any kind of privatization in Canada, but he took note of the relatively low level of support. What could airport privatization mean for travellers in Canada? “What I found a bit interesting is you have to look pretty hard to find policy that this prime minister has introduced, that hasn’t generated 50 per cent plus, 60 per cent plus support. I mean, he’s riding a pretty good wave right now,” Enns said. For contrast, Leger asked respondents in the same poll about their interest in becoming an “associate member” of the European Union and 70 per cent of respondents supported the idea. Enns said having 43 per cent supporting the idea and a majority being opposed or unsure means the government is going to have to do more legwork in explaining why it wants to…