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Environment is Key Issue for Canadians
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Canadian adults are concerned about ecology, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 35 per cent of respondents think the environment is the most important issue facing the country today. Health care is second on the list with 19 per cent, followed by tax relief, poverty, crime, and the economy.
Respondents were asked to indicate a level of priority to several issues compared with the environment. 72 per cent of respondents feel health care should be a more pressing concern for the federal administration, while more than 50 per cent feel the same way about poverty and crime.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
On Jan. 4, Harper enacted the first cabinet shuffle of his tenure, creating five junior positions, and switching the roles of eight ministers. John Baird took over as environmental minister from Rona Ambrose, who was put in charge of the intergovernmental affairs portfolio.
On Jan. 19, Baird discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "Eco-energy is all about what we can do to encourage more renewables, particularly non-emission renewables. (...) The biggest source of energy in Canada is the energy we waste. There's no (single) answer to the greenhouse-gas emissions, the climate-change challenge. There are a lot of answers, and this is an important part of that puzzle."
Polling Data
First, from the list of issues below, please click on the one issue that you feel is the most important issue facing Canada today.
The Environment | 35% |
Health Care | 19% |
Tax Relief | 10% |
Poverty | 7% |
Crime | 6% |
The Economy | 6% |
Now, for each of the following other issues facing Canada, please indicate what level of priority you feel each issue should be given by the federal government compared to the issue of the environment?
Higher | Lower | |
Health Care | 72% | 28% |
Poverty | 56% | 44% |
Crime | 53% | 47% |
The Economy | 49% | 51% |
Unemployment | 38% | 62% |
Ethics | 38% | 62% |
Afghanistan | 33% | 67% |
Tax Relief | 33% | 67% |
Terrorism | 33% | 67% |
Unity | 20% | 80% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,021 Canadian adults, conducted on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
