Prime Minister Mark Carney has mentioned that Canada will develop each clear and traditional vitality, and given a selection between the 2, two-thirds of Canadians say they might prioritize clear over standard, finds a brand new survey carried out by Abacus Knowledge on behalf of Clear Power Canada.
Particularly, 67% of respondents say that, assuming each have been priorities, they might usually favour clear vitality initiatives equivalent to crucial minerals, renewable energy and transmission, and vitality storage. The remaining 33% would favor standard fossil gas initiatives like oil and gasoline, together with LNG growth.
Requested how essential the 2 vitality sectors shall be to the Canadian financial system over the subsequent decade, 87% say clear vitality shall be very (45%) or fairly (42%) necessary, whereas 83% say fossil fuels shall be very (36%) or fairly (47%) necessary. In different phrases, the four-point benefit for clear vitality will increase to 9 factors amongst those that see not less than one among these sectors as “crucial.”
Assist for government-led local weather motion stays sturdy
As Canadians face one other summer season of wildfires, assist for continued local weather motion stays extraordinarily sturdy, with solely 14% of Canadians saying the federal authorities ought to do much less to fight local weather change and transition the nation to scrub vitality.
A big plurality of respondents imagine the federal authorities ought to do much more on local weather (44%), whereas an analogous quantity say the federal government is doing about the correct quantity (41%). Assist for not less than sustaining if not rising local weather motion is common throughout areas (72% in Alberta) and events (70% amongst Conservatives).
And maybe bucking the trending narrative that Gen Z is popping Trumpian, 60% of these aged 18 to 29 say the federal authorities ought to do much more to fight local weather change and transition to scrub vitality, with solely 7% of this age group saying the federal government ought to do much less.
Respondents have been additionally requested whether or not Canada needs to be extra aligned with Europe or the U.S. on issues of local weather change and clear vitality, with a powerful majority (76%) saying they like alignment with Europe. Apparently, when the query is framed this manner, it’s these aged 60-plus who profess the very best ranges of assist for a extra climate-ambitious path ahead (82%).
Canadians need new builds to be low-carbon and EV-ready
One other precedence for the prime minister is the constructing of extra houses. Accordingly, we requested whether or not new Canadian houses needs to be constructed with lower-carbon, extra sustainable development supplies assuming related development prices. Almost two-thirds (64%) assist using cleaner development supplies, with solely 15% opposing.
One other facet of recent development is vitality, and the most affordable approach so as to add EV charging or a warmth pump to a house is to put in these options when the house is first constructed. Many locations in Canada and elsewhere already require EV charging and more and more environment friendly heating techniques in new development. When introduced with this info, 70% of Canadians agree that newly constructed houses ought to include EV charging (or not less than the mandatory electrical work performed) and warmth pumps assuming a really minimal value.
QUOTE
“In a 12 months paying homage to 2020 in how out of the blue upended our world feels, it’s simple to wonder if views on necessary points have shifted as Trump, tariffs, and nationwide safety dominate headlines and the frightened minds of Canadians. And but the consensus on local weather motion and the transition to scrub vitality stays overwhelmingly optimistic. What’s extra, as Canada forges stronger commerce relationships with the likes of Europe and Asia, we might even see a rising financial and values alignment with jurisdictions which can be all-in on clear vitality.”
—Trevor Melanson, director of communications, Clear Power Canada
The survey was carried out with 2,585 Canadians from June 2 to five, 2025. A random pattern of panelists have been invited to finish the survey from a set of associate panels primarily based on the Lucid change platform. These companions are usually double opt-in survey panels, blended to handle out potential skews within the knowledge from a single supply. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random pattern of the identical measurement is +/- 1.92%, 19 instances out of 20. The info have been weighted in response to census knowledge to make sure that the pattern matched Canada’s inhabitants in response to age, gender, and area. Totals could not add as much as 100 on account of rounding.
