Climate Action Polling data May 2026

Two Recent Polls – from across all of Canada by Abacus Data on behalf of Sierra Club and from 11 Key Ridings by Liaison Strategies on behalf of the Canadian Climate Action Network show Canadians don’t support any of: Lowering industrial carbon prices; subsidizing or supporting pipelines; or the rollback of environmental protections.  Critically – even most ALBERTANS feel the same way!!

Added spoiler alert: The numbers aren’t even close!!

I admit – I love opinion polls.  The things we learn about our fellow citizens from a well-designed and well-executed poll are both fascinating and valuable for so many reasons.

And the results from these two polls, taken over the past couple of weeks show that whatever levels of support Canadians have shown for Mark Carney and his “new” government… Well… they have absolutely nothing to do with the Liberal’s recent positions on climate action.

From the Climate Action Network: “New polling shows that seven in ten voters (68%) in (11) key ridings for the Liberal Party in Quebec and British Columbia oppose any federal funding for an oil pipeline to the West Coast, or any other fossil fuel expansion projects”. 

More on that poll below.

From the Sierra Club on their national poll: “New polling from Abacus Data shows Canadians are more than twice as likely to support increasing Alberta’s industrial carbon price to $130 per tonne by 2030 (47%) than delaying this increase until 2040 (22%). In Alberta, where new rules for carbon pollution are set to take hold under a deal between the federal and provincial governments, more people (43%) supported that 2030 target than a delay to 2040 (33%)”.

For context: Instead of reaching $130 per tonne by 2030, the industrial carbon price negotiated under the MOU instead allows the minimum price to be only $115 in 2030, while the effective carbon market price (what credits trade at) will be only $60 in 2030, and $110 in 2040.

“The polling also shows that – if a pipeline to the west coast of BC were to go ahead – Canadians say it should be financed privately (39%), with only 28% saying the federal government should finance it. Again, even in Alberta 42% say it should be financed privately, while only 34% say it should be financed federally. This also holds true across the political spectrum of voters”.

Additionally, the polling indicates in a broader sense strong support for government regulations to limit oil and gas corporations’ greenhouse gas emissions. 7 out of 10 Canadians support such regulations. Alberta also sees a strong majority (62%) in favour of such regulations and only 20% opposed.

Sierra’s Comms director Conor Curtis, added:

“What’s problematic about these climate policy rollbacks is that they are being done to appease what appears to be a small portion of the Canadian public, even in Alberta, to little effect. If history is any guide, all that will do is embolden that smaller group to be even more ambitious and tell them if they get louder they’ll get what they want. This never-ending appeasement is going to actually harm national unity.”

The Climate Action Network took a different approach, and polled its members for a list of ridings that met certain criteria which dictated strategy. The polling from Liaison Stratégies then surveyed voters in five ridings in B.C. and six ridings in Quebec which flipped between parties or saw close races in the 2025 federal election.  Below, some highlights gleaned from all participants across all 11 ridings (the 11 ridings listed further below).

• 7 in 10 voters (68%) in the key ridings oppose any federal funding for an oil pipeline to the West Coast, or any other fossil fuel expansion projects.

• 7 in 10 (71%) respondents say they are concerned about climate change, including 4 in 10 who are very concerned. As well, 73% are concerned about the impact of rising oil and gas prices on the cost of living

• More people oppose (50%) than support (42%) an Alberta-B.C. pipeline

• Fully 68% oppose federal public dollars for a new pipeline or fossil fuel project, compared to only 25% who support it.  In every one of the 11 ridings polled, opposition to federal funding is above 60%

• If an MP supported taxpayer money for a pipeline or fossil fuel project, 59% say they would be less likely to vote for that MP. Only 13% say they would be more likely.  In every riding, at least 50% of voters say they would be less likely to support an MP who backed taxpayer money for a pipeline or fossil fuel project

• 73% say it’s important for affected Indigenous nations to give their consent before a project goes ahead

• 58% want the federal government to prioritize federal funding for clean energy projects, compared to 12% who think fossil fuel expansion should be prioritized, and 28% who think it should be split equally

• A full two thirds: 67% oppose the rollbacks to environmental policies that the federal government has made over the last year

• Solutions that address both the climate and cost-of-living crises see high support:
  • 66% support a windfall tax on excess oil and gas profits
  • 70% support government policies and incentives to help households adopt clean technologies, such as heat pumps and electric vehicles, and improve energy efficiency
  • 73% support an East-West electricity grid supplied entirely by renewable energy and community- and Indigenous-owned projects

So, how worried should the Liberals be, should they continue down this path? 

As but one example, it’s highly likely that the people of Victoria who greatly admired the climate work of their NDP MP (and 2025 Clean50 honouree) Lauren Collins – but who bought into the story Carney and Victoria Liberal MP candidate Will Greaves sold in the 2025 election, certainly didn’t anticipate that he would be voting to support pipelines and the rollbacks in the environmental protections less than 12 months later.  And aren’t happy about it!

Had Greaves actually campaigned on that platform, Lauren would still be in office.  And other Liberal MPs have said to me in confidence that they see Greaves’ Victora riding as particularly vulnerable to take back, even given the NDPs present state of affairs.

The take away for Mr. Carney – and particularly for these 11 MPs, is that they ignore Canadians’ want for climate action and environmental protections at their collective peril.

More information:

The 11 Ridings polled:

Québec:

– Rivière-des-Mille-Îles
– Terrebonne
– La Prairie-Atateken
– Longueuil-Saint-Hubert
– Thérèse-De Blainville
– Trois-Rivières

British Columbia:

– Victoria
– Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke
– Kelowna
– New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville
– Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay

SEE MORE:

Full results of the Climate Action poll go here: https://climateactionnetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026.05-CAN-Rac-National-Poll.pdf

RECENT PAST POLLS

Sierra also compiled a list of recent polling data that shows this level of support is not greatly changed from other results obtained over the past year.

For example, previous polling by Abacus Data from June 2025 had found that 72% of Albertans wished to maintain or increase federal climate action.

According to previous polling from multiple sources:

• 58% of Canadians say transitioning away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy is more important than ever, in light of U.S, aggression towards other countries [only 11% say less] – Opinium, February 2026: https://www.sierraclub.ca/clean-energy-polling-canada/
  
• As of September 2025, Abacus Data polling had found that  “70% of the public would feel pride if Canada were to become a renewable energy superpower, versus only 30% feeling that way about becoming an oil and gas superpower…. These results include a majority of Albertans (56%) and 79% of people living in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
  
• Polling by Abacus Data (published in December 2024), following the Alberta Government’s then unsuccessful campaign against the emissions cap, showed that of the majority of Canadians aware of the policy, 67% thought the emissions cap would have either a significant or some impact on climate goals. Further, 65% either supported it or said their support would be determined in how it is implemented, while only 32% actually opposed it. Media can find that data here: https://abacusdata.ca/what-do-canadians-think-about-the-emissions-cap-on-the-oil-gas-sector/
  
• According to Léger polling as of May 2025 fewer than 1 in 5 Canadians want their tax dollars going to largely foreign-owned companies to build more LNG projects.
  
• In June 2025 Abacus Data polling showed 72% of Albertans wished to maintain or increase federal climate action and action to transition the country to clean energy. That polling also confirmed 67% of Canadians prefer renewables and clean energy to oil and gas development (it’s 77% in BC).