Nearly eight in 10 Canadians agree that the federal government has allowed Canada's railways too much leeway on determining safety procedures, according to a new CTV News/Ipsos Reid poll.
The poll, which comes nearly six months after the deadly Lac-Megantic train disaster, found that 77 per cent of Canadians believe the regulations on rail safety in Canada are too lax. Only 23 per cent of Canadians disagreed.
Not surprisingly, Quebecers were the most likely to believe that Ottawa has been too lax in this area, with 85 per cent of respondents agreeing.
Following Quebecers were residents in British Columbia (77 per cent), Alberta (76 per cent), Ontario (75 per cent), Atlantic Canada (72 per cent) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (66 per cent).
The poll, which was conducted between Dec. 9 and Dec. 13, surveyed 2,535 Canadians online. It is considered accurate within +/- 2.2 percentage points.
The images from Lac-Megantic still linger in the minds of many Canadians, after a parked train carrying crude oil somehow came loose in the early hours of July 6, and careened into the heart of the small Quebec town.
The derailment set off a series of explosions in Lac-Megantic's downtown core, killing 47 people.
Police and federal transport officials are still investigating the incident. Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, the company that operated the train and owns the track, has since filed for bankruptcy protection.
A similar incident occurred in North Dakota this week when a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded near the small town of Casselton.
No one was injured, but residents were urged to leave the area as smoke billowed from the crash site. The evacuation recommendation was lifted Tuesday after conditions improved.
In Lac-Megantic, rail service resumed earlier in December. Under new restrictions, freight trains will only be allowed to travel through the town during the day and will only carry dry goods. On some parts of the track trains will only be allowed to travel at a maximum of 16 kilometres per an hour.
