Climate Has Fallen Off Canadians' Radars

Here’s Why That Matters Now

Our latest national survey delivered a finding that should worry anyone who believes climate action is central to Canada’s long-term prosperity. Only 13% of Canadians list “climate change and the environment” among their top three issues. In Quebec the number rises to 18%, but in Saskatchewan and Manitoba it drops to 6%. Among Conservatives it is just 4%. Even Liberal supporters only reach 18%.

Climate has not disappeared. It has been displaced.

At the top of Canadians’ worry list sit the rising cost of living (66%), the economy (39%) and healthcare (35%). The public mood is focused intensely on the pressures of the everyday. When grocery bills, rent and mortgages pull attention inward, long-term environmental risks drift further out of view.

We see the same pattern when we look at the final poll of the 2025 federal election. When asked which two factors mattered most in deciding how to vote, 45% chose “reducing your cost of living,” followed by 30% for dealing with Donald Trump and the impact of his decisions. Climate change barely registered at 5%, placing near the bottom of the list.

This is the landscape climate advocates must operate in. And it could not come at a more consequential moment.