A confidential report conducted by the Privy Council and obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter shows Canadians have low trust in the Trudeau Liberals’ climate leadership. The censored 2022 report Trust In Government As An Institution: Research On COVID-19 And Climate Change, released through Access to Information measures, found “few Canadians think Cabinet is fair, transparent or competent on climate issues."“Most respondents indicated they had little trust in government or only somewhat trusted governments to do what is right,” said the report. “Findings present a complex picture regarding trust in government.”“Few Canadians strongly agreed and only a small minority somewhat agreed the federal government demonstrated competence, fairness, openness and care when it comes to climate change,” it said. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was not mentioned by name in the report, but focus groups were asked to rate their agreement or disagreement on certain statements pertaining to the federal government’s competency on its climate agenda. Asked, “Rate your agreement or disagreement with the following statement: ‘The federal government listens to what ordinary people think about climate change,’” only 1% “strongly agreed,” the federal report states. To the statement, "The federal government is competent enough to deal with climate change,” 5% “strongly agreed.” A majority, 53%, disagreed.Asked if they “feel the way the federal government makes decisions about climate change is fair,” 4% “strongly agreed,” and 4% agreed with the statement, the federal government “provides all relevant information about climate change to the public.”The in-house research followed cabinet’s 2020 post-election reversal of its pledge to freeze the carbon tax at $50 per tonne, the equivalent of 12¢ per litre of gasoline.“The price will not go up,” then-Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said June 23 2019. “There is no secret agenda.”Then on December 11 2020 the Trudeau Liberals raised the tax cap 240% to the equivalent of 27¢ more per litre of propane, 34¢ per cubic metre of natural gas, 40¢ more per litre of gasoline, 44¢ for aviation fuel and an extra 47¢ per litre for diesel, according to Blacklock’s.The Trust In Government study made no mention of the reversal but acknowledged public cynicism over federal announcements, asking participants, “In general to what extent do you trust the Government of Canada to make good decisions in the best interest of Canadians?”It found 40% expressed varying degrees of trust, but trusted scientists (79%) and their family and friends (71%) more. “Our current assessment is that trust in government will be consequential in many contexts and there is great value in further understanding how trust is maintained, built and how it is influential cross multiple aspects of our democracy and society,” said the report. “Addressing the issue will likely require a mix of longer and shorter term strategies.”
A confidential report conducted by the Privy Council and obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter shows Canadians have low trust in the Trudeau Liberals’ climate leadership. The censored 2022 report Trust In Government As An Institution: Research On COVID-19 And Climate Change, released through Access to Information measures, found “few Canadians think Cabinet is fair, transparent or competent on climate issues."“Most respondents indicated they had little trust in government or only somewhat trusted governments to do what is right,” said the report. “Findings present a complex picture regarding trust in government.”“Few Canadians strongly agreed and only a small minority somewhat agreed the federal government demonstrated competence, fairness, openness and care when it comes to climate change,” it said. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was not mentioned by name in the report, but focus groups were asked to rate their agreement or disagreement on certain statements pertaining to the federal government’s competency on its climate agenda. Asked, “Rate your agreement or disagreement with the following statement: ‘The federal government listens to what ordinary people think about climate change,’” only 1% “strongly agreed,” the federal report states. To the statement, "The federal government is competent enough to deal with climate change,” 5% “strongly agreed.” A majority, 53%, disagreed.Asked if they “feel the way the federal government makes decisions about climate change is fair,” 4% “strongly agreed,” and 4% agreed with the statement, the federal government “provides all relevant information about climate change to the public.”The in-house research followed cabinet’s 2020 post-election reversal of its pledge to freeze the carbon tax at $50 per tonne, the equivalent of 12¢ per litre of gasoline.“The price will not go up,” then-Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said June 23 2019. “There is no secret agenda.”Then on December 11 2020 the Trudeau Liberals raised the tax cap 240% to the equivalent of 27¢ more per litre of propane, 34¢ per cubic metre of natural gas, 40¢ more per litre of gasoline, 44¢ for aviation fuel and an extra 47¢ per litre for diesel, according to Blacklock’s.The Trust In Government study made no mention of the reversal but acknowledged public cynicism over federal announcements, asking participants, “In general to what extent do you trust the Government of Canada to make good decisions in the best interest of Canadians?”It found 40% expressed varying degrees of trust, but trusted scientists (79%) and their family and friends (71%) more. “Our current assessment is that trust in government will be consequential in many contexts and there is great value in further understanding how trust is maintained, built and how it is influential cross multiple aspects of our democracy and society,” said the report. “Addressing the issue will likely require a mix of longer and shorter term strategies.”
