Do politicians start parades, or merely get in front of them? That’s a question Canadians might be asking this week, following news that the government was polling them on the issue of oil pipelines last fall — just days before Prime Minister Mark Carney announced an agreement with Alberta to explore building a new one to British Columbia.

According to news reports, the Privy Council Office added a question to its weekly poll on Nov. 23 about whether Canadians supported “new or expanded oil pipelines.” The results were clear: 67 per cent approved, including a majority in every province. Beautiful B.C. clocked in at 64 per cent, eco-conscious Quebec at 56 per cent. On Nov. 27, Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a Memorandum of Understanding to “make Canada a global energy superpower” with great fanfare.

The following week, the government asked a more pointed question: “Despite their contribution to the economy, some point out that building pipelines involves cutting corridors across ecosystems, with impacts on nature and habitat, and pipelines........

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