Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that Canada will develop both clean and conventional energy, and given a choice between the two, two-thirds of Canadians say they would prioritize clean over conventional, finds a new survey conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of Clean Energy Canada.
Specifically, 67% of respondents say that, assuming both were priorities, they would generally favour clean energy projects such as critical minerals, renewable power and transmission, and energy storage. The remaining 33% would prefer conventional fossil fuel projects like oil and gas, including LNG development.
Asked how crucial the two energy sectors will be to the Canadian economy over the next decade, 87% say clean energy will be very (45%) or pretty (42%) important, while 83% say fossil fuels will be very (36%) or pretty (47%) important. In other words, the four-point advantage for clean energy increases to nine points among those who see at least one of these sectors as “very important.”
Support for government-led climate action remains strong
As Canadians face another summer of wildfires, support for continued climate action remains extremely strong, with only 14% of Canadians saying the federal government should do less to combat climate change and transition the country to clean energy.
A large plurality of respondents believe the federal government should do even more on climate (44%), while a similar number say the government is doing about the right amount (41%). Support for at least maintaining if not increasing climate action is universal across regions (72% in Alberta) and parties (70% among Conservatives).
And perhaps bucking the trending narrative that Gen Z is turning Trumpian, 60% of those aged 18 to 29 say the federal government should do even more to combat climate change and transition to clean energy, with only 7% of this age group saying the government should do less.
Respondents were also asked whether Canada should be more aligned with Europe or the U.S. on matters of climate change and clean energy, with a strong majority (76%) saying they prefer alignment with Europe. Interestingly, when the question is framed this way, it is those aged 60-plus who profess the highest levels of support for a more climate-ambitious path forward (82%).
Canadians want new builds to be low-carbon and EV-ready
Another priority for the prime minister is the building of more homes. Accordingly, we asked whether new Canadian homes should be built with lower-carbon, more sustainable construction materials assuming similar construction costs. Nearly two-thirds (64%) support the use of cleaner construction materials, with only 15% opposing.
Another side of new construction is energy, and the cheapest way to add EV charging or a heat pump to a home is to install these features when the home is first built. Many places in Canada and elsewhere already require EV charging and increasingly efficient heating systems in new construction. When presented with this information, 70% of Canadians agree that newly built homes should come with EV charging (or at least the necessary electrical work done) and heat pumps assuming a very minimal cost.
QUOTE
“In a year reminiscent of 2020 in how suddenly upended our world feels, it’s easy to wonder whether views on important issues have shifted as Trump, tariffs, and national security dominate headlines and the worried minds of Canadians. And yet the consensus on climate action and the transition to clean energy remains overwhelmingly positive. What’s more, as Canada forges stronger trade relationships with the likes of Europe and Asia, we may see a growing economic and values alignment with jurisdictions that are all-in on clean energy.”
—Trevor Melanson, director of communications, Clean Energy Canada
The survey was conducted with 2,585 Canadians from June 2 to 5, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 1.92%, 19 times out of 20. The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
