38% of Canadians think that Harper is wrong-thinking about climate change

A recent international study by Haddock Research found that the majority of Canadians think that climate change is caused by human activity, and a majority also thought it to be a very serious threat to the planet. 92% of Canadians know at least something about climate change.

38% of all Canadians think that their prime minister, Stephen Harper, is “wrong-thinking and/or annoying in his opinion or actions to do with climate change” – rather more than any other politician.  Stéphane Dion, leader of the Liberal party, does better than Stephen Harper on this issue – but not as well as one might expect.

Certainly climate change has become a partisan issue in Canadian politics, but an explanation of this could also be the way that the Liberal party’s opponents have framed the Green Shift plan. It has been dubbed the Carbon Tax by the Conservatives, and taxes are an unpopular way of moving to a low-carbon economy. Research by Haddock Research shows that, in common with citizens from Britain and the USA, most Canadians do not agree with the notion of raising taxes as part of a comprehensive green strategy. Canadians are much more supportive of government investment and regulation to tackle climate change.

41% of all Canadians have found David Suzuki effective in shaping their thoughts about climate change.

Peter Winters, President, 9^th October 2008 

You can download the full press release in the PDF attachment at the bottom of this page.