Canadian government research obtained through Access to Information shows Canadians rate the cabinet's climate program as ‘incompetent, unfair, and lacking transparency.' .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the research does not mention Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault by name but reveals widespread distrust of the government's environmental policies..“Few Canadians strongly agreed, and only a small minority somewhat agreed, that the federal government demonstrated competence, fairness, openness and care when it comes to climate change,” said the report. .Only 5% strongly agreed with the statement “The federal government is competent enough to deal with climate change.”.“Without trust in core facts among citizens, democratic governments are inherently challenged when attempting to base policies or encourage action appealing to objective scientific claims,” said the report Trust in Government as an Institution: Research on COVID-19 and Climate Change. .The findings were based on surveys with 2,000 people across the entire country. These surveys were conducted continuously from Dec. 1, 2021, until March 31, 2022. The cost of the research was not disclosed..“Most Canadians are drastically underestimating the influence of human activity on climate change despite scientific consensus to the contrary,” said Trust in Government. .“Many Canadians believe in a mix of human and natural factors as being primarily responsible.”.Asked “In your opinion, what percentage of the Earth’s warming since the 1950s has been caused by human activity like burning fossil fuels?” More than a third, 36%, said “most warming is caused by human activity.”.Other responses were “almost all warming is caused by human activity” (32%), “human activity is not the main cause of warming” (23%) and “human activity is not the cause of warming” (9%)..Researchers found a broader consensus on criticism of federal climate programs. Fifty-three percent of Canadians disagreed with the statement “The federal government is competent enough to deal with climate change.” .Other findings showed:.50% disagreed with the statement “The federal government listens to what ordinary people think about climate change”49% disagreed with the statement “The federal government provides all relevant information about climate change to the public”47% disagreed with the statement “The way the federal government makes decisions about climate change is fair”.“Many respondents indicated they had little trust in government or only somewhat trusted government to do what is right,” wrote researchers. .“There were not large distinctions in views on trust for different orders of government. Such findings present a complex picture regarding trust in governments, suggesting few Canadians have a constant view that governments can be trusted.”.Asked “To what extent do you trust the Government of Canada to make good decisions in the best interest of Canadians?” only 6% expressed “complete trust.” Others said they “somewhat trusted” the federal government (34%). A quarter of Canadians, 25%, said they “completely distrusted” the federal government..Trust in Government found that when it comes to talking about climate change, Canadians tend to trust their family or friends the most (71%). They also trust environmental groups (56%) and people promoting solar and wind energy (54%). However, only 21% of Canadians trust oil and gas companies.
