More Canadians believe Elvis is still alive than the ability of the country to reach net-zero targets under the Paris Accord.That was the message from pollster Nik Nanos who inked off the Global Energy show in Calgary on Tuesday with a warning that Canadians aren’t happy with Ottawa’s energy policies.In fact, more people believe Elvis is still alive — about 7% — than those who think the federal Liberals will be able to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050. Those who are ‘quite confident’ that the Trudeau government can meet its Paris Accord commitments barely registered, at less than 1%..“If you at any time have ever yelled at the television set while you're watching a new segment. Yes. Congratulations, you are normal.”Nik Nanos.“I just like to say as an aside, about 7% of Canadians believe that Elvis is still alive so Elvis is doing a little better than than confidence in Canada reaching its net-zero goal. So this speaks to the general environment that we're in,” he told delegates to the conference’s opening ceremonies.“The reality is, is that there's not a lot of positive sentiment. When it comes to whether we're creating an environment that provides a clear, predictable and competitive policy and regulatory environment.”As another aside, Nanos said a clear majority of Canadians yell at the TV when they see policy pronouncements from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.“If you at any time have ever yelled at the television set while you're watching a new segment. Yes. Congratulations, you are normal.”.Nanos said the majority of Canadians in every part of the country — save Quebec — want “reasonable and pragmatic” energy policies. A clear majority in every province and territory — again, with the exception of Quebec — are opposed to carbon taxes and whether they actually reduce emissions.That number has only grown since 2018, prior to the pandemic. In fact, ‘bread and butter’ issues like affordability and inflation now dominate the national dialogue.“When you look at the data (Canadians) are pragmatic and reasonable. Yes, we have environmental aspirations, but at the same time, Canadians are worried about paying for the bill. And also, don't worry about when you yell at that TV set, because there are a lot of Canadians also yelling at the TV set whenever they see those things on the news,” he said.Nano was the keynote speaker for the Global Energy Show, which is hosting some 30,000 delegates from more than 100 countries. In addition to networking and panel discussions, more than 500 local exhibitors — including The Western Standard — have set up displays at the trade show.The conference runs through Thursday at the Stampede grounds.
