A new poll of Americans and Canadians by Environics has found that more than 70 per cent of respondents in both countries want restrictions on the ability of energy companies to use the North American free-trade agreement to sue governments over their environmental-protection polices.

The survey was commissioned for the Council of Canadians, an Ottawa-based nationalist group, which said the results indicate widespread public support for renegotiating what are known as the investor protection provisions in Chapter 11 of NAFTA.

“There is remarkable agreement between Canadians and Americans on the need to promote the public interest and constrain the power of energy corporations,” said Maude Barlow, chairwoman of the council.

The council is using the poll, which it is releasing today, to support its campaign to have U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper discuss renegotiating the NAFTA provision at their meeting scheduled for later this month.

The investor protection clause was in the spotlight last fall when Dow AgroSciences LLC said it was considering challenging the federal government over Quebec’s decision to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides on residential lawns.

The poll also found overwhelming support among Canadians for a green-jobs program of the kind touted by the Obama administration involving investments in wind and solar energy and energy efficiency, with more than nine out of 10 in favour.

Environics surveyed 1,000 people in each country in late January and early February. The margin of error in a poll of this size is three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.