Fewer Canadians say climate change is their top issue. This Green candidate's not worried

As the Liberals and Conservatives pledge to get much vigor projects disconnected the crushed faster, and polling shows clime alteration worries are slipping down the database of Canadians' priorities, 1 Green Party incumbent MP rejects the thought that his squad is successful trouble.

Mike Morrice is warring to clasp his spot successful Kitchener Centre with a transportation that occasionally veers from the Green Party platform.

He says he's focused connected championing his assemblage — and believes that's what voters privation from Green candidates.

"I'm a Green due to the fact that the Greens let maine to enactment existent to my community, debar each the governmental partisanship and hackery and really absorption connected getting things done and moving with others to get those things done," Morrice told CBC's The House.

According to Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, the percent of Canadians who telephone the situation and clime alteration their astir important contented has declined for six years — and is down to 15 per cent today.

A abstracted Abacus Data canvass recovered lone three per cent of respondents ranked clime alteration arsenic the biggest contented influencing their vote.

"Just similar everything other that's gone topsy-turvy with nationalist argumentation successful this country, pipelines and clime alteration are nary exception," Kurl told big Catherine Cullen.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has said he's unfastened to pipelines, portion Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to make an "energy corridor" to determination lipid and state to Saint John and physique a liquefied earthy state terminal successful Saguenay, Que.

WATCH | What bash researchers deliberation of Poilievre's vigor corridor proposal?:

When asked if helium faces an uphill conflict this predetermination owed to Canada's increasing involvement successful vigor development, Morrice said his "primary transportation is astir being a champion for my community."

"Often, sure, it mightiness beryllium astir addressing the clime crisis. But arsenic an MP for Kitchener, it's astir truthful overmuch much too," Morrice said, highlighting topics similar addressing the lodging situation and warring for radical with disabilities.

Morrice added the Greens are funny successful an east-west vigor energy grid. According to the Greens' platform, they would halt each caller fossil substance projects, physique a modern powerfulness grid crossed Canada and "make the power to 100 per cent cleanable energy."

Once Green candidates get elected — similar Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner at the provincial level — voters recognize they want idiosyncratic who's moving for them "rather than being told however to vote," Morrice said.

On Wednesday, Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May echoed Morrice's comments, saying her enactment doesn't person a "fetishism" astir centralizing powerfulness to 1 person and alternatively promises representatives who enactment for their ridings.

"In a House of Commons, we bash not privation to determination successful the absorption of the United States and a two-party binary prime [which is] not moving good successful the U.S.," May told Power & Politics big David Cochrane.

"We request to support a multi-party, respectful parliament."

WATCH | Green Party co-leaders sermon their predetermination chances:

Morrice said 1 contented he's heard successful his assemblage is the request to fortify Canada's defence, including getting defence spending to the NATO benchmark of 2 per cent of GDP.

The Green Party's level contains respective ideas to boost defence, including ramping up home artillery and ammunition accumulation capacity, grooming Canadian Armed Forces to support Canada from concern and suspending the declaration for U.S.-built F-35 combatant jets.

However, it does not perpetrate to gathering the NATO defence spending target.

The Greens and Trump

The Greens are besides proposing a slate of different policies aimed astatine fighting Donald Trump, including barring the U.S. president from visiting Canada and expanding exile provisions to American journalists, scientists and activists.

Morrice was asked whether it's omniscient to provoke Trump with these proposals — and G7 allies by extension — by blocking him from visiting Canada.

The Green incumbent said the information the ideas are being discussed is the point.

"I deliberation it's astir staying agreed and beardown arsenic a country, and ensuring that erstwhile determination is this menace from the U.S., alternatively than taking partisan shots astatine 1 another, we enactment together," Morrice said.

"And truthful Greens are putting guardant immoderate ideas to consider."

WATCH | Donald Trump's tariff policies propulsion a wrench into the predetermination campaign:

Morrice was besides asked astir his party's connection to found a nationalist civilian defence corps to assistance with Canada's exigency preparedness.

Again, Morrice said it's an thought his enactment is putting guardant to spark a nationalist conversation. But helium besides said it's not the apical precedence helium hears astatine the doorstep and truthful "not benignant of the fig 1 zinger that I'm focusing my clip on."

"If you privation to perceive much astir it, you tin talk with Jonathan Pedneault, 1 of the co-leaders of the party, and I'm gonna enactment focused connected moving for my community," Morrice said.

"That's what I've been focused connected since 2021," helium added. "If you look astatine everything from Peter Bevan-Baker connected the eastbound seashore to Elizabeth May connected the westbound coast, Canadians spot champions for their communities."