
Majority of Quebecers think province should end carbon pricing, survey says
MONTREAL — Weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal consumer carbon levy, more than half of Quebecers want their province to follow suit and abolish its own price on carbon, a new poll says.
Published Tuesday, the Léger survey also found that a majority of Quebecers support building a pipeline across the province to transport oil or gas from Western Canada to international markets. The poll offers the latest evidence of shifting public opinion on environmental issues in Quebec, where there has long been a broad consensus in favour of carbon pricing and against pipelines.
Quebec has had some of the highest gas prices in the country since April, when Carney ended the consumer carbon levy that applied in most provinces. British Columbia quickly moved to end its own carbon tax as well, leaving Quebec as the sole province that remains fully committed to carbon pricing.
According to the survey conducted for Québecor media properties, 56 per cent of respondents believe Quebec should put an end to its cap-and-trade carbon-pricing scheme. That includes a majority of supporters for all major political parties in the province, except the left-leaning Québec solidaire. Another 28 per cent said the province should keep its price on carbon, while 15 per cent didn’t know or refused to answer.