Canadians care ‘very deeply’ about nature conservation, even at the expense of economic development: poll

Canadians care about protecting nature, even at the expense of economic development, a recent survey suggests. And while this is something “not new,” it could represent a later problem for the prime minister as he prioritizes national-interest projects and development, but loses some support among younger Canadians, says pollster Frank Graves.

“This is an issue that Canadians care very deeply about,” said Graves, president of Ekos Research Associates, who conducted the poll commissioned by Nature Canada. 

“When [Canadians are] asked about, ‘should we expedite approval of programs that are devoted to development?’ … Conservatives are okay with that, but the rest of the population go, 'absolutely not.'”

The Ekos poll, which surveyed 1,022 Canadians online from April 22 to May 3 with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, found that 75 per cent of Canadians believe that protecting nature ought to be a “key consideration” when building the country. And just over half—54 per cent—of respondents disagreed that building major infrastructure projects should be prioritized over environmental considerations.

Overall, 61 per cent of Canadians polled said protecting endangered species should be prioritized over economic development, though the number was split down party lines. Fifty-four per cent of Conservatives said the economy should be prioritized over the extinction of species. Among Liberals, 70 per cent prioritized protecting species from extinction, and among New Democrats, that number was 91 per cent.

The results come as Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) is moving to fast-track infrastructure developments and major projects while Canada weathers an increasingly tense trade war with the United States—sometimes at the cost of environmental protection laws ushered in under his predecessor, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau. 

Most recently, the feds released a discussion paper proposing various changes to Canada’s impact assessment law and regulations with an eye to speeding up construction and approval timelines, including—in cases with a “high threshold”—allowing projects to be exempt from the jeopardy test in the Species at Risk Act.

That provision prevents the construction of a project if it would severely impact or kill at-risk species. The paper—which closed for submissions on July 22, and has been the subject of a wave of backlash from environmental groups—also proposes giving cabinet the authority to “adjust” environmental impact assessments and green-light construction without impact assessments being completed. The Liberals are expected to table legislation on that front in the fall. 

Since taking office in March 2025, Carney has also ditched a slate of Trudeau-era climate policy, such as the consumer carbon price, the electric vehicles sales mandate, and the proposed oil and gas emissions cap. He also signed an energy deal with Alberta outlining a new pipeline that would run from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast, and, as part of that deal, instated a weaker industrial carbon price. 

Graves explained that though Carney remains deeply popular in the polling, especially when it comes to economic considerations, his lead on the environment and climate policy is less strong, which could present issues for the prime minister down the road. 

“Carney holds a commanding lead with dealing with the United States and trade issues, which are right now kind of the things that are preoccupying media attention and public attention to a large extent,” said Graves.

Carney recently announced a set of counter-tariffs would be levied on American goods as of Sept. 8 after trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed on Aug. 21 and new tariffs were imposed on Canada. 

But, when it comes to the environment, climate change, and “future” issues, Carney only leads by a small amount, Graves explained, with the advantage much more “modest.”

“The focus on climate, climate, species, and nature is not getting the same attention,” he said. “And that's not surprising, but I think it would be a mistake.”

Graves said that Carney is up a couple of points in the polls since the election, but the Conservatives are now down 14 points over the same period, while the NDP have increased from six per cent support in the election to 17 per cent. 

“[That] 11-point rise in the NDP are all people who voted Liberal in the last election because 87 per cent of voters picked one of two choices,” Graves explained. 

“Carney's up two or three points from the election, but he's lost 11 points to the NDP and two points to the Green Party. So, what's the magic here? Well, the magic is pretty clear. He's actually gained 14 per cent of Conservative voters."

Graves said that the NDP’s rise—which is still well-below their pre-election vote share—could “shake up” the political environment if the trends continue, noting that Liberals can’t afford to alienate younger Canadians who don’t share the same enthusiasm for policies such as defence spending, pipelines, or economic development. 

Feds 'under duress' amid trade war, says former MP Amos

Former Liberal MP Will Amos, who worked to secure nature funding in the 2019 budget when he was an MP, told The Hill Times that there’s a “reason” Carney came out with a nature strategy within a year of being in office—it’s something Canadians care deeply about. 

The feds unveiled their $3.8-billion investment in nature back in March, pledging to protect 30 per cent of Canada’s water and land by 2030. 

Amos, who is the managing partner and co-owner of Pivot Strategic, called the strategy a “very good thing,” but noted that the government is “under duress” as a result of the trade war with the U.S.

“The question becomes: how do you build the Canadian economy of the future to protect us against Trump’s trade war, and protect nature and decarbonize to achieve climate action at the same time?”

Oliver Anderson is a former director of communications to ex-environment minister Steven Guilbeault, who resigned from Carney’s cabinet over environmental concerns last fall and vacated his Montreal seat on Aug. 28. Anderson also pointed to the “unique moment” Carney is battling, but said the polling is "not surprising."

“Canadians often, and have repeatedly told us, that they do not want to choose between … the economy and a healthy environment, and they expect the Government of Canada to be able to do both at the same time,” said Anderson, vice-president of communications and growth at AquaAction. 

Carney’s economic agenda risks failing to do that as building more requires increased energy and natural resources, but there are “opportunities” to balance both, Anderson said, pointing to the nature strategy.

Still, Amos highlighted that Carney remains popular. This past June, Carney had a 55-per-cent approval rate, according to an Angus Reid poll, with voting intention at 41 per cent for Liberals. The Conservatives were at 36 per cent.  

“This poll suggests a lot of Canadians are really concerned about this, and yet he seems to be, still, a very popular prime minister.” 

Anderson said the government has demonstrated intentions to achieve “strong environmental outcomes” in addition to economic ones, highlighting that, in the coming months, it will launch consultations on a water security strategy, which could support innovation and result in a lower environmental footprint. 

One of Carney’s campaign promises was to invest $100-million in that fund. Anderson said consultations are expected to launch in the coming months. 

But, Amos, who was on the House committee that performed the clause-by-clause study of the Impact Assessment Act when it was first passed into law, said he wouldn’t be surprised if the feds bring forth reforms the legislation as proposed in the discussion paper. He said he’ll be looking out for the degree to which the reforms direct nature protection to the provinces. 

Amos also said he has “no doubt” that there are a number of MPs in the Liberal caucus whose constituents are preoccupied by the environmental decisions being made “as a result of the moment we’re living through.”  

Radio-Canada reported that 14 unnamed Liberal MPs sent a letter to Carney in April, outlining concerns about his environmental policy on the heels of the deal with Alberta. 

Still, Amos said it seems Carney is demanding “clarity and depth and substance,” as well as solutions, from his MPs.

“If I was in caucus, I would be saying, 'we need the industrial carbon price. As currently conceived, it is not strong enough.'” 

ewand@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times