A little more than half of Quebecers believe that the $100 million compensation planned by the Legault government for oil and gas companies is too high.
This is the result of a Léger poll commissioned by several environmental organizations.
The government had proposed putting an end to oil and gas exploration and production activities in Quebec by compensating companies to the tune of an estimated $100 million.
In the survey, more than two-thirds of respondents (70 per cent) agree that companies should be financially responsible for damages caused by the 960 wells drilled in Quebec.
Only four per cent of those surveyed feel that taxpayers should pay.
In addition, 52 per cent of respondents say they support a ban on drilling for oil or gas in Quebec.
On the other hand, one in four respondents disagrees, while 22 per cent of respondents refused to comment.
Finally, when asked about the amount of compensation offered to end exploration and development activities, 54 per cent say they believe $100 million is too high, while one in five says the amount is just high enough.
The web survey was conducted from Feb. 18 to 20 among 1,007 Quebecers.
If this was a probability sample, the margin of error would be plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 24, 2022.
