TORONTO: A Statistics Canada poll shows Canadians are confused about the oil sands’ significance to Canada’s economy. According to the recent poll, the oil sands account for just two per cent of Canada's GDP, but polling conducted by Environics and released by Environmental Defence shows that the majority of Canadians, 57 per cent, overestimate the oil sands’ contribution to the Canadian economy. Forty-one per cent of Canadians believe the oil sands’ certainly not sufficient to justify the risks of planned massive expansion."
Although the majority of Canadians believe the oil sands' contribution to our economy is bigger than it really is, most Canadians also think we should be transitioning off the oil sands in favour of cleaner energy.
The polling shows a large majority of Canadians, 76 per cent, agree with the statement: Given concerns about climate change, Canada should be shifting its energy strategy away from dependence on fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy. Three quarters of Albertans felt this way. And the majority of Canadians, 66 per cent, want an economic strategy less focussed on oil sands development.
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