According to new research, the majority of Canadians in all but three ridings across the country believe their province has already felt the effects of climate change.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
By Matto Mildenberger, University of California, Santa Barbara and Erick Lachapelle, Université de Montréal
Canada is gearing up for a big election this fall and climate policy will likely be at the centre of debate. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?s Liberals are trumpeting their carbon pricing policy, while Andrew Scheer?s Conservatives want to get rid of it. Meanwhile, Elizabeth May and her newly relevant Greens think Canada must do more to manage the climate crisis.
But where do Canadian voters stand on this issue"
Our research team, based at the Université de Montréal and the University of California Santa Barbara, has new public opinion data to answer this question. Using recent statistical and political science advances, we can estimate Canadian opinion in every single riding across the country (except for the less densely populated territories, where data collection is sparse). And we?ve released on online tool so anyone can see how their local riding compares to others across the country.
Canadians are concerned about climate change
Our results reinforce what is increasingly clear: climate change is on the minds of Canadians, and not just in urban or coastal communities. A majority of Canadians in every single riding believe the climate is changing. The highest be...