Ottawa, October 18, 2012 – An Environics Research poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians shows that 60% of Conservative voters oppose the cancellation of federal funding for the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) research centre. Overall, 73% of Canadians oppose the cutting of funding for the Experimental Lakes Area, with 42% strongly opposed to the cuts.
“Harper is missing the mark, even with his own supporters,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson for the Council of Canadians. “The poll shows people in Canada are clear about the importance of freshwater, and in a democracy it is the prime minister’s duty to listen to the people.”
“This poll should serve as a wake-up call to the Conservatives,” according to aquatic scientist Diane Orihel, Director of the Coalition to Save ELA. “The ELA is the government’s most powerful tool for understanding the impacts of industrial development on Canada’s lakes and fish populations. Canadians clearly get it, Conservative voters clearly get it. Why can’t the Harper government?”
“Keeping the ELA public is critical to protecting freshwater sources in Canada,” says Emma Lui, water campaigner for the Council of Canadians. “With the scientific knowledge of the long-term impacts of climate change and chemical contamination being studied by the ELA, we stand a solid chance of finding solutions to the looming water crisis.”
The Experimental Lakes Area is a unique federal research program that studies the long-term impacts of global threats to freshwater lakes. Operating for more than 40 years, the ELA consists of 58 small lakes where scientists study the effects of water pollution, climate change and other threats.
Earlier this year, the Harper government announced that they were cutting the $2 million annual budget to the program in March 2013 in order to save money. However, there are concerns that the cancellation of funding stems from information produced by the program that sheds a spotlight on the harmful impacts of tar sands development.
The poll’s findings are consistent across regions, employment status, income, education, gender and age. To view the full poll results, click here.
The poll was part of a telephone survey of 1,001 random residents of Canada, 18 or older, conducted from October 10 to 13. The results are considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Sub-regional results will be less accurate.
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For more information:
Emma Lui, Water Campaigner, Council of Canadians, 613-298-8792, elui@canadians.org
www.canadians.org | Twitter: @CouncilOfCDNs