Economic anxiety and geopolitical tensions may be dampening Canadian support for climate action. A recent poll found that 61% think energy policies should prioritize economic growth over environmental protection. Advocates now face an uncomfortable question: do Canadians still care about climate change?
That question served as the provocation for our panel discussion with three climate policy experts, held on April 29, 2026, at the Vancouver Public Library. The panel featured Eugene Kung, staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, Andrea Reimer, a former Vancouver City Councillor who spearheaded the Greenest City plan; and Seth Klein, author of A Good War and founder of Climate Emergency Unit. It was moderated by Chris Tenove, the Assistant Director of UBC’s Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions. The panel, presented in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library and DemocracyXChange, offered bracing insights on the state of climate politics, vulnerabilities of democratic institutions, and opportunities for leadership and public engagement.
To answer the burning question upfront: Yes, Canadians still care about climate change. All three speakers made this point, which Kung backed up by drawing on a recent poll from his organization finding that 69% of British Columbians across political parties identified climate as a serious concern. Respondents to the poll were more likely to cite the rising cost of living, high food prices, and increased costs of house insurance as top concerns, but the panellists explained how all these issues were being made worse by failures to reduce and adapt to climate change.
Watch the full panel discussion.
At the same time, the panelists emphasized that public concern has not translated into political urgency or sustained climate action. Speakers identified challenges including weak political leadership, widespread misinformation, powerful advocacy by the fossil fuel industry, and poor climate communication. All these delay climate action and undermine public understanding. As an illustration, Klein noted that many people still don’t connect climate change to activities like fracking natural gas or burning that gas to heat their homes. They also underestimate other people’s interest in climate action. Klein cited research findings that 42% of Canadians think about climate at least once a week but only 26% think their neighbours do, a misperception that likely dampens collective action. As Reimer put it, “We the people have never stopped caring, but what has stopped is a political conversation that reflects our care.”
Kung, Klein, and Reimer also urged citizens and political leaders to develop more ambitious visions of the future. “My pitch to all of you is that we need to imagine going to a place where we are prosperous, where affordability isn’t such a live concern for us every day, where we have strong and just communities with clean energy,” Reimer said. “We need to figure it out and we need to go there a thousand times in our collective imagination… So, the sooner you start that process of imagination, the better.”
