Ipsos has polled voters to find out what the top issues are for Canadians when they head to the polls on October 21st.

The number one issue is healthcare followed by cost of living. Senior Vice-President Kyle Braid says climate change comes in at three. “A little bit ahead of the economy and taxes, but really it’s one of the key issues that voters say they’re paying attention to and we’ve got almost 8 in 10 Canadians who say they feel that Canada needs to be doing more on this issue than they are today.”

Braid says although most Canadians care about the climate, they don’t want to pay for it. “Well here is where the rubber hits the road and people managing to pass the responsibility onto others. So, when we asked how much people are willing to spend on an annual basis to tackle the issue, half of Canadians, 46% same in BC, said I’m not willing to spend anything. So there’s a resonating number right off the top. And another 22% said maybe up to $100 a year. So collectively you have two thirds of Canadians that say I’m not willing to spend more than $100 a year on an issue that threatens are planet.” He says it doesn’t mean they don’t think it’s a problem, it’s just that they think someone else should pay for it.

Braid is unsure whether it will actually mean anything when it comes time to vote. “What remains to be seen, is climate change an issue like taxes and the economy where we know people actually make decisions in the ballot box based on them, or is it more like health care which everybody says is important but isn’t a differentiating issue for votes. So we will see in this election.”

Taxes and the economy round out the top five election issues for Canadians in 2019, but the results do vary when looking at specific provinces. “Near the top of the list in BC is still Housing which is tied to the issue of affordability but in BC it is higher than Climate Change as an issue. So there are differences across the country with housing being one that is particularly big in British Columbia” Braid says.