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The wildfire at Pear Lake is shown in this handout photo provided by British Columbia's wildfire service taken on Thursday, July 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-BC Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)
By The Canadian Press

Poll suggests some Liberal supporters concerned about climate policy are leaning NDP

Jul 30, 2026 | 10:23 AM

OTTAWA — A new online poll from the Angus Reid Institute suggests that one in six 2025 Liberal voters now say they would support the NDP.

The pollster found that half of these voters cite climate change as the issue that concerns them most. The poll also found that these voters are three times more likely to be concerned about inequality, with 34 per cent of red-orange switchers listing it as a priority compared to 10 per cent who are staying in the Liberal tent.

Angus Reid reports that 21 per cent of respondents nationally say that climate change is a top concern, an increase from the 14 per cent recorded just four months ago. The pollster said that wildfire season is a “stark reminder” of the threat climate change poses in a write up of its findings.

NDP Leader Avi Lewis told The Canadian Press Tuesday that he’s been hearing from Liberals in Montreal are now looking to support his party.

“We’re starting to see some buyer’s remorse for the Carney agenda, not just among New Democrats who voted Liberal last time, but among long-term Liberals who are in a state of real surprise at how far the prime minister has gone in the direction of all in on AI, unlimited military spending it seems and doubling down on fossil fuels in the midst of a climate emergency,” Lewis said during an interview in Montreal.

“There are lots of progressive Liberals who are ready to come over, and I think that we have the potential to flip some seats in the next election in places that may surprise people.”

Lewis has spent the last three weeks in Montreal where he is taking a private French immersion course. During that time he’s been out door knocking with candidates in two Montreal ridings ahead of byelections that will be called after the expected resignations of former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault and former NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice who is entering Quebec provincial politics.

Worry about climate change was particularly acute among those under the age of 45 and the highest percentage of respondents citing it as a top issue — 30 per cent — was recorded among respondents aged 18 to 24.

Supporters of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois were the only ones to tell Angus Reid that the environment and climate change are among their top five political issues. This is the number two issue for NDP supporters and the number three issue for Bloc voters.

A combination of inflation and cost of living is listed as the top issue for supporters of all four major parties in the poll.

The proportion of respondents who say they would vote Liberal in Angus Reid’s modelling has decreased by five points to 40 per cent since February. Meanwhile the number of people saying they would vote for the NDP climbed from 10 per cent in February to 13 per cent in the July survey.

The Conservative vote intention has remained relatively steady in the Angus Reid model this year at 36 per cent.

The poll included 1,770 Canadian adults pulled from a random sample of people who have signed up for the Angus Reid Forum and was conducted between July 25 and 27.

The Canadian Research Insights Council, an industry organization that promotes polling standards, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press