A new poll clearly shows Canadians believe Stephen Harper’s federal government let the country and the planet down in Copenhagen last month.
From December 7-18, 2009 negotiators from 192 nations came together at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) to try and reach a binding international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases to fight climate change. A new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll indicates that Canadians are unhappy with the outcomes of COP 15.
Key findings are:
- 48% of Canadians expressed dissatisfaction with Harper’s performance at COP 15, with only 28% of respondent’s content with the Prime Minister’s leadership.
- 56% of Canadians were frustrated with the fact that the Copenhagen agreement is not legally binding.
- 36% of Canadians were dissatisfied with the commitment at COP 15 to keep temperatures from rising no more than 2 degrees Celsius.
- 73% of Canadians believe that the goal of all the world’s nations to keep temperatures from rising no more than 2 degrees Celsius will not be achieved.
- Canadians only generally supported two outcomes from COP 15, with 46% expressing satisfaction with the idea to create a fund to help developing nations adapt to climate change and 58% supporting the worldwide commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions fifty per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
The poll of 1,013 Canadians was conducted from December 22-23, 2009.
The outcomes clearly show that Harper’s Conservative government did not deliver what Canadians were expecting in Copenhagen. Time and time again, polls demonstrate that Canadians want tougher action both domestically and internationally on climate change and Harper’s government consistently underachieves on this file. But rather than be accountable to Canadian voters, Harper has, of course, shut down parliament in an attempt to take the heat off his government’s deplorable climate change record.
Canadians have lost confidence in Harper and Environment Minister Jim Prentice’s credibility on climate change. Our federal government’s poor performance on climate change means Canada is now regarded as a villain on the world stage. This view was widely held in Copenhagen and is reflected in the views expressed by Canadians in this new poll.