About half of Ontarians want to abolish carbon tax, poll suggests
About half of Ontarians say they would abolish the carbon tax if given the chance, a new poll suggests.
A new Liaison Strategies poll released this week, which surveyed 1,280 Ontarians, suggests that about 49 per cent of residents support cancelling of carbon pricing while about 27 per cent argue it should stay in place.
"When it comes to climate change and the carbon tax - Ontarians have a lot of mixed opinions but 54 per cent say that affordability and the cost of living is more important than protecting the environment, Principal David Valentin said in a statement.
Canada’s price on carbon pollution increased by $15 per tonne on April 1 as part of an annual hike.
The policy is meant to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The federal government does offer a rebate to consumers as part of their tax return.
When asked if they would still support abolishing the carbon tax if it meant also cancelling the federal rebate associated with the program, the numbers are a bit smaller.
About 41 per cent of respondents stood firm on their decision to cancel the program, while about 37 per cent said to keep it.
While the majority of respondents said they believe the amount of pollution produced in Ontario is decreasing compared to five years ago, just 21 per cent believe the province is doing the most to reduce it.
About 54 per cent of respondents said the federal government was doing the most to reduce pollution, while similarly, about 65 per cent said the provincial government was doing the least.
The poll comes as the federal Conservatives press for a televised sit down between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and premiers to discuss halting the policy, a motion that the New Democratic Party has supported.
It’s important to note that provinces can adopt their own carbon pricing program in order to opt out of the federal carbon tax, something the Ford government has refused to do.
PCs still in the lead
If a provincial election were held in Ontario today, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives would hang on to the lead.
According to the survey, about 35 per cent said they would cast a vote for the PCs, while 25 per cent said they would vote for the Ontario Liberal Party.
The Ontario NDP had about 15 per cent support while the Green Party had four per cent support.
About 16 per cent of respondents were undecided.
Methodology
The survey was conducted using interactive voice recordings between April 6 and April 7. Responses were weighed using demographic and geographic information compared with the 2021 census. The margin of error is about plus or minus 2.74 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Three dead after vehicle plunged down a 100-foot embankment in Shediac, N.B.
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
Appeal denied for Edmonton soldier accused of trying to kill her 3 children
An Edmonton woman found guilty of trying to kill her three children has been denied an appeal.