Tory Climate Change Plan Panned as Majority (61%) of Canadians Say `It Does Not Go Far Enough' and Half (52%) Believe `It's a Bad Plan'

Toronto, ON - In response to the Conservative Government's new climate-change initiative, a new Ipsos Reid Poll conducted on behalf of CanWest Global reveals that a majority (61%) of Canadians think that the Tory plan `does not go far enough or move with enough urgency to make a meaningful contribution to the global effort to fight climate change'. Conversely, only one third (32%) say that this plan `will ensure that Canada moves quickly and contributes in a meaningful way to the global effort to fight climate change'. Stated plainly, half (52%) of Canadians think that the Government's initiative is `a bad plan for dealing with climate change'.

Canadians are not inclined to believe Environment Minister John Baird's assertions that the Kyoto Accord would cause Canada so suffer a deep economic depression. In fact, a majority (55%) of Canadians feel that that Minister Baird is `incorrect' in his claim, and that `he is just saying these things to scare people so that the government doesn't have to do things it doesn't want to do'. On the other hand, one third (32%) believe that he is indeed correct and therefore `support his approach of going slower than other countries'.

Finally, Canadians do not appear to support the double-standard that exempts the Alberta Oil Sands from a requirement to cut emissions of two smog-causing pollutants'. Most (77%) Canadians disagree that this sector of the economy ought to be granted exemptions, saying that `the oil sands should be subject to the same emission-reduction standards that all other industries are subject to, regardless of their contribution to the economy'. On the other hand, two in ten (17%) maintain that `the oil sands should be exempt from the new emission-reduction standards because of their contribution to the Canadian economy'.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest Global from May 8 to May 10, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adults was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Canadians (61%) Think Plan Does Not Go Far Enough...

In light of the increased attention paid to celebrity-style environmental activists such as former Vice-President Al Gore and Dr. David Suzuki, six in ten (61%) Canadians agree with the sentiment that the Canadian Government's new plan `does not go far enough, or move with enough urgency, to make a meaningful contribution to the global effort to fight climate change'. In disagreement, one third (32%) maintain that this plan will ensure that `Canada moves quickly and contributes in a meaningful way to the global effort to fight climate change'.

• Those most likely to criticize the speed at which this plan moves are residents of Atlantic Canada and Quebec, where seven in ten (70%) Atlantic Canadians and two thirds (67%) of Quebecers agree that the plan `does not move with enough urgency'.
• Almost half (45%) of Albertans think that the plan `moves quickly and contributes in a meaningful way to the global effort to fight climate change'.
• It appears as though formal education has a large impact on one's attitudes towards the plan, with seven in ten (70%) of those with a university degree believing that the climate-change initiative `does not move with enough urgency'. In comparison, 59% of those with some post-secondary education, 54% of those with only a high school diploma, and 46% of those without a high school diploma thought the same.
• Similarly, household income appears to play a role in one's propensity to discredit the plan, with 65% of higher-income Canadians (over $60,000 household income a year) saying that the plan `does not move with enough urgency', compared to 53% of Canadians in lower income brackets (under $30,000 a year) who agree with this statement.

Half (52%) of Canadians Think that `It's a Bad Plan'...

Fully half (52%) of Canadians believe that the Government's series of measures to deal with climate change, greenhouse gasses and global worming are `a bad plan for dealing with climate change, and do not go far enough'. Conversely, only four in ten (40%) believe the initiative to be a `good plan for dealing with climate change' and that it `goes far enough'.

• A slim majority (51%) of Albertans, and residents of the Prairie Provinces, are in support of the plan, saying that the plan is `good for dealing with climate change'.
• On the other end of the spectrum, only three in ten (30%) Atlantic Canadians, and one third (35%) of Quebecers and British Columbians think that the plan is `good'. In fact, six in ten (60%) of Atlantic Canadians claim that it is `a bad plan for dealing with climate change', and that is `does not go far enough'.
• Other demographic groups which have a high propensity to think that the plan is `bad for dealing with climate change' are Canadians with a university degree (59%), and those whose families earn more than $60,000 a year (55%).
• The plan's biggest supporters are those Canadians with no formal education, where nearly six in ten (57%) are in support of the government's initiatives.

Canadians Think Baird is Scaremongering...

In recent weeks, Canadian Environment Minster John Baird has told Canadians that if the government were to implement the provisions of the leading international treaty on climate change, called the Kyoto Accord, that Canada's economy would suffer a deep depression. Despite the Minister's assertions, a solid majority (55%) of Canadians believe him to be `incorrect, and think that he is just saying these things to scare people so that the government doesn't have to do things that it doesn't want to do'. Just one third (32%) have confidence in what the Minister has been saying, and believe him to be `correct', and so they `support his approach of going slower than other countries'.

• The most inclined to believe the Minister to be correct in his statements are residents of Alberta (41%) and Ontario (38%).
• Consistent with some of the other findings of this study, Atlantic Canadians (23%) and Quebecers (25%) appear to be the most sceptical of the words of the Minister, and believe him to be `incorrect'.
• Nearly two thirds (62%) of Canadians with a university degree believe him to be `incorrect'.

No Special Treatment for Alberta Oil Sands, Canadians Say

As part of the government plan, the Alberta Oil Sands are exempt from a requirement to cut emissions of two smog-causing pollutants, despite being the fastest-rising source of greenhouse of greenhouse gas emission is Canada. Canadians appear to not appreciate the double-standard, with most (77%) agreeing that `the oil sands should be subjected to the same emission-reduction standards that all other industries are subject to, regardless of their contribution to the economy'. In direct opposition, nearly two in ten (17%) suggest that `the oil sands should be exempt from the new emission-reduction standards because of their contribution to the Canadian economy'.

• Interestingly, Albertans (17%) are no more likely than all Canadians (17%) to claim that `the oil sands should be exempt'. In fact, residents of Ontario (22%) are the most likely of all geographic regions to suggest that `the oil sands should be exempt'.
• Maintaining their position as the least likely among all geographic areas to support this plan, residents of Atlantic Canada (11%) and Quebec (13%) are least likely to believe that the oil sands should be exempt, and most likely (both at 82%) to believe that `the oil sands should be subject to the same emission-reduction standards that all other industries are subject to'.
• Men (21%) and young adults (21%), aged 18-35, are more likely to agree to the exemptions to the oil sands, while women (13%) and middle-aged Canadians (15%) are less likely to agree.

For more Information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416-324-2900
[email protected] For full tabular results, please visit our website www.ipsos.ca. News Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/.

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