Feds should clean up energy sector, poll saysVancouver Sun: A majority of Canadians believe the energy sector is one of the most important parts of Canada's economy, and the federal government should lead the way in 'cleaning' it up by finding alternatives to oil, says a newly released report.
The study, produced for Natural Resources Canada by Decima Research, found that 88 per cent of Canadians were either 'very concerned' (47 per cent) or 'somewhat concerned' (41 per cent) about the environmental impact of energy use and that 87 per cent were 'very concerned' (46 per cent) or 'somewhat concerned' (41 per cent) about the impact of energy production...
Doug Anderson, senior vice-president for Decima Research [wrote] 'They believe that this may not happen without some sort of leadership, with objectives and time frames in place for this transitional process, and ideally, investments made in facilitating this transition.'...
'Participants tended to recognize that this transition may cost them (as consumers and as taxpayers) some money,' said the report. 'But they believed that an investment in this area has the potential for them, and for the country, to benefit, both economically and environmentally in future.'...
Canadians from every region viewed natural resources as being more important to the economy than the manufacturing and service industries... with a majority of respondents (57 per cent) correctly identifying Canada as a net exporter of energy...
When asked about specific energy sources, oil received the poorest score with 89 per cent of Canadians expressing concerns about its environmental impact... When asked to identify Canada's most important natural resource, without prompting, 46 per cent of respondents said water.
