Clean Energy Canada | Poll: Most Canadians support the federal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations
July 4, 2023

photograph of a wind turbine in sunlight against rural backdrop

VANCOUVER –  An overwhelming majority (71%) of Canadians support the federal government’s forthcoming Clean Electricity Regulations—designed to ensure that Canada’s electricity grid is 100% clean by 2035—finds a new poll from Clean Energy Canada and Abacus Data.

bar graph showing that 30% of Canadians "strongly support", 41% "somewhat support" the federal government's clean electricity regulations while 9% "somewhat oppose" them and 6% "strongly oppose them". 14% are not sure.

In B.C. and Atlantic Canada, support for the Clean Electricity Regulations is even higher, with nearly 8 in 10 saying that they “somewhat” or “strongly” support them. More Canadians support the regulations than are against them in every region, including Alberta.

a series of bar graphs showing the proportion of each level of support for the government's clean electricity regulations, disaggregated by: region (region, major city), demographics (gender, age), attitude (whether climate change is in their top three concerns), and political views (2021 federal vote). Those who voted Liberal Party, aged 65 and over, and had climate change in their top three concerns were the most likely to show strong support.

When asked to rate arguments for why Canada should transition to 100% clean electricity, Canadians rate “clean electricity is necessary to combat climate change” as the most convincing. Also convincing, they find, are the arguments that “clean electricity is more secure than fossil fuel electricity” and that “Canada already has one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world and is well-positioned to set an example for other countries.”

a series of bars indicating percentage of canadians that found each statement: 1 - not convincing at all, 2, 3, 4, or 5 -very convincing. The most convincing statement to canadians is that "clean electricity is necessary to combat climate change": 59% found the statement a level 4 or 5 convincing.

QUOTE

Evan Pivnick, clean energy program manager at Clean Energy Canada

“Clean power is the backbone of a successful energy transition. It’s what powers our homes, our cars, and businesses in a net-zero Canada. And it’s very popular. While Alberta’s premier has positioned herself against Canada’s forthcoming Clean Electricity Regulations, the fact is that a majority of Albertans actually support the policy, and the province is poised to be a leader in securing clean energy investments. Clean electricity is a climate imperative, an economic advantage, and a no-brainer for Canada. We already have one of the world’s cleanest power grids—wasting that head start is no way to win a race.”

METHODOLOGY

The survey was conducted with 2,000 Canadian adults from June 06 to 11, 2023. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- %, 19 times out of 20. The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.