For the past two weeks, most of the world’s leaders were meeting in Glasgow, Scotland as part of the 26th United Nations climate change conference, also known as COP26.
UK Prime Minister, in welcoming world leaders to the UK, described the conference as the “world’s moment of truth” and a now or never proposition to tackle climate change and work together to keep global temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Scientists have said crossing the 1.5-degree threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change effects on people, wildlife, and ecosystems.
On this episode of inFocus, I’m joined by Merran Smith, the Executive Director at Clean Energy Canada, a climate and clean energy program within the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. It works to accelerate Canada’s clean energy transition by sharing the story of the global shift to renewable energy, clean technology, and sustainable industries. It conducts original research, convenes influential dialogues, informs policy leadership, and drives public engagement.
Merran and I spoke as climate negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow wrap up. We discussed the scale of the challenge the world faces to confront climate change, the opportunities for Canada in the clean energy sector, and the role of public opinion in building consensus and driving action on the energy transition.
In the 2019 UK General Election, a political earthquake occurred. The Conservative Party led by Boris Johnson gain 48 seats in England, many of them coming in the North and Midlands regions of England, two regions that had voted solidly for Labour for almost 100 years. Now imagine if the Liberal Party of Canada won half or more seats in Alberta during a federal election – that’s the equivalent of what happened in the UK in 2019. Now, this shocker didn’t come from nowhere. For years, Labour support in the region was deteriorating and in 2016, most who live in these consistencies voted to leave the EU in the Brexit referendum. What happened in England that caused these safe Labour seats to switch to the Conservatives? How did the party of Margaret Thatcher convince these working-class constituencies to vote for a party that most would say didn’t represent their interests? My guest on this episode of inFocus is UK pollster Deborah Mattinson, the founder of polling firm BritainThinks. Deborah was a pollster to former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In 2010, she published Talking to a Brick Wall – the story of the New Labour years from the eyes of voters. Her latest book “Beyond the Red Wall” explores how British “left behind” communities created the electoral earthquake in 2019. I just finished reading the book and am thrilled that Deborah agreed to talk with me. It’s a fascinating read and I believe her findings need to be read and understood for anyone interested in politics, public affairs, and the future of democracy in the UK, the US, and Canada. ...
On this episode of inFocus, I’m joined by Dr. Marc Hetherington and Dr. Jonathan Weiler, authors of Prius or Pickup? How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America’s Great Divide. The book was published in 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I read the book a few years ago and it had a big impact on how think about public opinion, political behaviour, and what impacts both. In their book, Hetherington and Weiler show that the key to understanding polarization in the United States requires understanding how personality and worldviews impact opinions and behaviour. They also show that these factors also impact what we drive, where we live, where we vacation, and not surprising how we vote. ...
What happens when a pollster becomes a legislator? How does a career exploring and measuring public opinion help serve Canadians as a Senator? Senator Dr. Donna Dasko was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Trudeau on June 6, 2018. She is my guest on this episode of inFocus with David Coletto. Prior to her appointment, she was Senior Vice-President at Environics Research Group where she lead major research studies for federal and provincial governments, private sector clients, and NGOs. Senator Dasko is also a co-founded and National Chair of Equal Voice, a non-partisan organization aimed at electing more women in Canada. Senator Dasko joined me on the podcast to discuss her career as a pollster and how her experience has impacted her work as a Senator at the centre of national public policy making. ...
