Canadian Politics

A19(c) - Environmental Politics

Date: Jun 5 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location:

Framing the Climate: Elite Messaging and Public Attitudes on Carbon Pricing in Canada: Cynthia Huo (Princeton University), Tali Mendelberg (Princeton University)
Abstract: Despite an extensive literature examining the mass-elite relationship, there remains weak consensus on whether political elite communication primes or changes mass policy attitudes. This paper presents a case study of Canadian public opinion on carbon pricing to test these theories. Utilizing a five-wave panel survey from Mildenberger et al. (2022) spanning the 2019 federal election, during which climate change became a salient issue, I ask whether Canadians led or followed politicians in their support for carbon pricing. These findings have implications for the hypothesis that elite messaging primes policy attitudes, and, consequently, for the prevailing belief that the electoral success of parties supportive of carbon pricing reflected broad public endorsement of the policy. I then explore whether these insights help explain shifting preferences against carbon pricing since 2022. Although elite messaging is typically seen as shaping mass attitudes differently on performance versus policy issues (Lenz 2012), its influence on political behaviour when these issues intersect is less understood. The Conservative Party of Canada has consistently framed carbon pricing as a financial burden; however, the economy was not a salient issue during the 2019 campaign as it has been since 2022. Through an analysis of elite messaging on carbon pricing, I consider whether the impact of economic evaluations on assessments of incumbent performance extends to preferences for a policy tied to the economy. By examining whether citizens can lead on these policy issues, I contribute to research on the degree of elite influence and the conditions under which it occurs.

Framing Climate Opposition: Analyzing Denialism, Obstructionism and Skepticism in Canada's House of Commons: Marie-Félixe Fortin (Université Laval), Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh (Université Laval), Annabelle Olivier (Université Laval), Sarah-Jane Vincent (Université Laval)
Abstract: Elite cues are amongst the most influential factors shaping public opinion on climate change (Carmichael & Brulle, 2017). They influence individual's policy preferences, and perceptions of the problems addressed by the policy (Beiser-McGrath, 2023). In Canada, right-wing political ideology and conservative partisanship are key predictors of lower concern about climate change, reduced support for climate policies, and less emphasis on climate proposals when voting (Anderson and Stephenson 2011; Lachapelle, Borick et al. 2012; Boulianne, Belland et al. 2021; Thomas et al., 2022). Despite the focus on ideology’s role in shaping public support for climate action, little is known about how conservative political actors in Canada frame climate change and policies, and how these frames have evolved over time. This paper addresses this gap through a quantitative content analysis of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) interventions in the House of Commons from 2006 to 2023, revealing the CPC’s communication strategies on climate issues. Precisely, we apply a recent typology categorizing climate opposition frames into three groups: (A.) anthropogenic climate change denial; (B.) climate policy obstructionism; and (C.) source credibility skepticism. By tracing the evolution of these frames, this study reveals the CPC’s rhetorical strategies and their potential impact on public attitudes toward climate action in Canada. These findings underscore the role of elite discourse in shaping public opinion and advancing or hindering climate action within a polarized political landscape.

Of Carbon, Convoys, and Cyclists: Masculinities and Environmental Politics in Canada: Wilfrid Greaves (University of Victoria)
Abstract: This chapter explores contested masculinities and environmental politics in Canada. It identifies three types of masculinity – enviro-masculinity, petro-masculinity, and eco-masculinity – and maps them onto examples from contemporary Canadian politics, including climate and energy policy, the Freedom Convoy movement, and sustainable urban transportation. I argue that political representations of masculinity in Canada predominantly reflect ecomodernist and petro-masculinist identities differentiated by their relative emphasis on fossil fuels, white masculinity, authoritarian desire, and ecological modernization, rather than fundamentally different values or practices. A more sustainable eco-masculinity exists but remains marginal to Canadian politics.

Fragmentation and Fault Lines: Rethinking Canadian Political Culture in an Era of Climate Anxiety and Risk: Aly Tkachenko (University of Victoria), Will Greaves (University of Victoria), Sarah Stilwell (University of Victoria), Matt James (University of Victoria)
Abstract: The study of political culture in Canada has overwhelmingly focused on nationalist comparison, historical migration patterns, and more recently, how to define and understand regional political cultures. While understanding difference in relation to our American neighbours and British parent remain important today, and the rise of identity politics reinforces the relevance of historical immigration, we believe the study of political culture in Canada requires a reconsideration and broadening of the key variables thought to constitute it. As the world treads deeper into the Anthropocene and global climate change is increasingly impactful, many scholars have recognized the changing opinions and attitudes of Canadians towards climate policies and climate risks. With regional economies depending on resource extraction to varying degrees, and regional variation in climate advocacy, we believe that climate change is creating both creating new fault lines and exacerbating existing divisions in defining and differentiating regional political cultures in Canada. We argue that different levels of anxiety about the risks, policy requirements, and economic impacts of climate change are increasingly relevant in differentiating regional political cultures across Canada. We draw on historical and contemporary survey data to consider how opinions towards climate change risks and policies have changed over time in four key regions: Ontario, the Prairies, British Columbia, and the North. Challenging ideas that Canadian political culture is static or predetermined by singular historical events, we argue that the emergence of climate change as an existential threat reveals that political culture is continually reinscribed and shaped by ongoing issues.