86 per cent support the Government of Canada stepping in to stop plastic pollution both at home and around the world with international allies
Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – A survey commissioned by Environmental Defence and conducted by Abacus Research between April 14 and 16, 2025 reconfirms that people across Canada overwhelmingly support action from the federal government to tackle plastic pollution and forever chemicals. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents want the federal government to get toxic chemicals out of products, while 86 per cent support federal action on plastic pollution.
“These results demonstrate that the next government has the clear support of the country to address the plastic pollution crisis,” said Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager for Plastics at Environmental Defence. “People in every part of the country recognize the threat that runaway use of unnecessary plastics poses to our health and the environment, and want our government to tackle it.”
“People in Canada want a less toxic future,” said Cassie Barker, Senior Program Manager for Toxics at Environmental Defence. “Canada’s move to regulate PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ earlier this year puts it on the leading edge of countries working to get this class of harmful chemicals out of products. The next government must move forward to restrict PFAS and other harmful chemicals, bringing the co-benefit of easing trade with countries in the E.U. that have more protective chemical regulations.”
Environmental Defence is urging all federal parties to:
- Protect and expand the Canada-wide bans on harmful single-use plastics
- Launch a dedicated fund to scale up infrastructure for reuse and refill systems using made-in-Canada materials to decrease our reliance on single-use packaging
- Ensure all people across Canada have access to robust and effective deposit-return programs for beverage containers
- Take a leadership role in finalizing an ambitious Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution, working with allies in Europe and the Global South
- Move quickly to finalize the listing of PFAS as toxic under Canada’s environmental protection law, and expedite regulations for prohibiting these toxic chemicals from consumer products such as clothing and textiles, food packaging, cosmetics, and paints.
About the poll:
The survey was conducted with 1,200 adult Canadians over the age of 18 from April 14 to 16, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.82%, 19 times out of 20.
Click here to view the detailed results.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Mira Merchant, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca
