Published on Huff Post
Inaction on climate change does not appeal to voters who are undecided or merely leaning conservative — the ones the PCs need to attract and keep to win.
A new poll of Ontario voters shows that if the Progressive Conservatives want to win with swing voters in the coming election, they’ll need a policy that tackles climate change and prices carbon emissions. Leaving aside Patrick Brown’s on again, off again bid to succeed himself, the other four candidates in the PC leadership contest rushed to distance themselves from the “People’s Guarantee” platform, and in particular its promise to implement a revenue-neutral carbon tax. But the new Forum Research survey commissioned by Canadians for Clean Prosperity shows that that might have been the wrong move.
The most committed PC voters, who likely resemble the party’s membership base, oppose a carbon tax and are more skeptical of action on climate change. However, this does not reflect opinion in the province as a whole. More importantly, this inaction on climate change does not appeal to voters who are undecided or merely leaning conservative — the voters the party needs to attract and keep to win the election.
