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OTTAWA — A new poll suggests that most Canadians want aggressive government action to fight climate change, despite skyrocketing fuel costs.
The findings appear to fly in the face of the notion that Canadians, shocked by record-high oil and gasoline prices, do not want governments to drive up their cost of living any further.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey results were published as Canada and others from the Group of Eight industrialized nations issued seemingly conflicting declarations at their meeting in Japan.
One statement endorsed cutting the world's emissions of greenhouse gases in half by 2050, while another called on oil-rich states to ramp up production to reduce fuel prices.
The poll suggests many people see strong action on the environment as a way to find greener, alternative sources of energy.
When asked whether they support a more cautious approach to dealing with environmental issues, or stronger action to reduce the country's dependence on oil, 61 per cent said an aggressive approach was more logical.
Only 27 per cent said governments should move more slowly on the environment in light of the rising cost of oil and gas.
The poll of 1,000 Canadians, conducted between June 3 and 6, is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
