58% of Albertans believe Venezuela regime change a threat to oil and gas industry: poll
Posted Jan 28, 2026 4:42 pm.
Last Updated Jan 28, 2026 7:11 pm.
Canadians are fearful of Donald Trump’s impact on the world, and Albertans are worried about an influx of Venezuelan oil.
That’s according to a new Trump-themed Angus Reid poll, which is taking the political temperature of early 2026.
It found repeated threats by the U.S. president are taking on toll on Canadians, with 79 per cent saying they are fearful of the year ahead. Just 21 per cent said they are hopeful about what the new year will bring.
“I think he’s unhinged,” Edmonton’s April Jordan told CityNews of President Trump. “I don’t know if I would say I’m scared of him. I’m definitely scared of the impact he’s having.”
“It’s really scary to have neighbours that close, who are so… you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know what he’s going to do,” added Julia Beaumont.
Sixty-one per cent of Canadians say they are now watching more news than usual about the United States.
The top words people north of the border used to describe the first year of Trump’s second term to pollsters: corrupt, chaotic and incompetent.
And two-thirds of poll respondents said they would give Trump an “F” grade for his first year of his second term.
“I think a lot of it can be attributed to Donald Trump because he has brought a lot of uncertainty to Canadians and especially economically,” said Jon Roe, a senior research associate at the Angus Reid Institute. “When you’re looking around the different issues around the tariffs and the potential damage to the Canadian economy, I think a lot of Canadians are worried about what the year could bring.”
Threat to Alberta oil?
In Alberta, 58 per cent say they are worried about Trump dumping a flood of Venezuelan oil into international markets.
The president has said his goal is to lower oil prices, which would drive Alberta’s budget deficit much higher than the $6 billion already projected.
READ: What does U.S. capture of Venezuelan president mean for Alberta oil?
Alberta’s premier has not held a press conference in almost a month. But she was asked about the ongoing separation referendum petition drive and the United States on her radio show last weekend.
“When I talk to people who are frustrated with how we’ve been treated over the past 10 years, they don’t say ‘therefore I want to be an American state,’” Smith said. “They say ‘I want a new relationship with Canada.’ And that’s what I’m doing.”
The Alberta premier was in Ottawa Wednesday meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and B.C. Premier David Eby about pipelines and other trade.
“We don’t always agree on everything,” Smith said. “But I think we’ve got a really solid base to start on and I’m looking forward to continuing that conversation.”
Still, not every Albertan is anti-Trump.
A recent poll by Research Co. found 24 per cent of Albertans want to join the U.S.
One Edmontonian, Larry Ballantyne, told CityNews he didn’t particularly like that idea, but has been “thinking about independence quite a bit.”
Several First Nations chiefs are planning a press conference for Thursday morning in Edmonton. They argue the separation referendum is a violation of their treaty rights, and they are worried about foreign interference from the U.S. in that process.
The Angus Reid online survey was conducted from Jan. 23-27, 2026, among a randomized sample of 1,612 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
