Private Airport Operations: Leger Poll Reveals Mixed Canadian Public Support
Canadians show cautious interest in private airport operators for major hubs
private airport operators
What Canadians Really Think About Private Airport Management
A surprising gap exists between what Canada’s government wants to do and what citizens actually support. According to a new Leger poll conducted between September 19 and 21, 2026, just 43 percent of Canadians favor the idea of putting private operators in charge of the country’s four largest airports—Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver. While this represents meaningful support, it falls short of the strong consensus that typically surrounds Prime Minister Mark Carney’s policy initiatives.
The remaining sentiment split into two camps: 31 percent actively oppose the privatization proposal, while a substantial 27 percent remain undecided. That one-in-four Canadians sitting on the fence represents a significant chunk of the population that could swing either direction depending on how the government frames its argument.
The Government’s Vision for Airport Privatization
Prime Minister Carney introduced this privatization concept at an investment summit in Toronto last week, explicitly stating that private investors would take over operational control of Canada’s four biggest aviation hubs. However, the government stressed an important caveat: Ottawa would retain ownership of the land and airports themselves.
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon reinforced that all airports would remain subject to rigorous federal safety regulations. The federal government argues this arrangement would free up dollars that could be redirected toward smaller, underserved regional airports across the country. From the government’s perspective, this is a win-win—letting private sector efficiency improve major hub operations while boosting infrastructure investment elsewhere.
Andrew Enns Points Out the Political Reality
Andrew Enns, executive vice-president for Central Canada at Leger, didn’t mince words about what the poll numbers mean. He noted that while Carney generally enjoys strong public backing for his initiatives, this airport proposal stands out as notably less popular. Enns observed that finding policies with less than 50 percent support from Carney’s government is unusual in the current political climate.
“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,” Enns said in his analysis. This suggests the privatization plan represents genuinely contested territory in the Canadian political landscape.
To put this in perspective, the same Leger poll asked respondents about becoming an “associate member” of the European Union. That concept garnered 70 percent support—a dramatic contrast that shows how much work the government may need to do on the airport issue.
Regional Divides Tell an Important Story
The polling data reveals stark geographic differences in how Canadians view airport privatization. Quebec residents emerged as the most supportive group, with 47 percent backing the plan. This relatively strong showing in Canada’s second-largest province could provide a foundation for government advocates of the proposal.
The Prairie Provinces tell a different story. Saskatchewan and Manitoba residents showed the lowest support levels, with only 32 percent in favor. Alberta wasn’t far behind, registering 33 percent support with 35 percent opposed. Enns speculated this resistance stems from frustration with current air service in those regions.
Prairie travelers often face limited direct flight options and must route through major hubs like Toronto or Calgary to reach their destinations. Many Saskatchewan and Manitoba respondents might be thinking: instead of privatizing those already-powerful airports, why not invest in more routes and better service for our regional airports? About one-third of Prairie respondents expressed uncertainty, the highest “unsure” proportion across any provincial sample.
The rest of Canada showed more moderate support, clustering in the mid-40 percentile range with opposition around 30 percent. This relatively balanced middle ground across much of the country suggests room for persuasion in either direction.
Age Matters, But Not Always How You’d Expect
Canadians aged 55 and older demonstrated slightly higher support for Carney’s plan at 45 percent compared to 39 percent among those aged 18 to 34. However, Enns noted something unexpected in this data. Older Canadians weren’t showing strong enthusiasm—they were matching younger respondents in their hesitation and concern.
Opposition hovered around 30 percent across all age groups, but the uncertainty levels differed. Enns suggested older Canadians, who tend to be frequent travelers, might harbor the same concerns as their younger counterparts about what privatization could mean for service quality and pricing.
The fact that age didn’t create a sharp generational divide on this issue suggests the concerns run deeper than typical left-right political splits. Both young and old Canadians seem to be asking the same fundamental question: what’s in this for us?
The Legwork Still Ahead
Enns was direct in his conclusion: the government faces significant work ahead if it wants to build public confidence in this proposal. When you have 43 percent in favor, 31 percent opposed, and 27 percent undecided, you’re essentially in a position where opposition combined with uncertainty exceeds your support base. That’s a challenging starting position for implementing a major infrastructure initiative.
The government’s messaging so far—that this would free up federal funds for regional airports—clearly hasn’t resonated strongly enough. For residents of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta especially, the promise of future regional investment feels abstract compared to the concrete concern that major airports could become even more dominant and expensive.
What Happens Next
The Leger poll surveyed 1,533 Canadians, making it a substantial sample. However, it’s worth noting that the Canadian Research Insights Council points out online surveys cannot be assigned a traditional margin of error since they don’t randomly sample the entire population in the classical statistical sense.
What this data tells us is that privatizing Canada’s four largest airports isn’t a settled matter in the public mind. The government will need to engage Canadians more directly about specific benefits, cost protections, and how regional airport investment would actually unfold. Whether through town halls, media campaigns, or detailed policy documents, Ottawa will need to move beyond the investment-summit enthusiasm and into the harder work of public persuasion.
For now, this poll serves as a reality check: even popular governments can’t assume consent on major infrastructure changes. With more than half of Canadians either opposed or genuinely uncertain about airport privatization, the conversation is just beginning.
