Remember the sponsorship scandal? The political landscape has changed in two years, and the issues on the minds of Canadians are dramatically different.

In May, 2005, after startling testimony at the Gomery inquiry, Canadians ranked the sponsorship scandal and corruption as the most important issues facing the country in a poll conducted by the Strategic Counsel. The environment was raised by only 3 per cent.

Now the priorities are reversed: Canadians are most worried about going green, and the sponsorship scandal is seen as a thing of the past.

There has been a change of government in the meantime, of course, and the election of a Conservative government probably defused a Liberal scandal. But it means Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, which came to power promising accountability in government, faces a green priority barely mentioned in the last election campaign.

In Quebec, where Mr. Harper's government would likely have to gain seats to win a majority government, the change has been doubly dramatic. The scandal that roiled the province in 2005 is cited by only 2 per cent as most important, and environmental concerns are at their highest, chosen as the most important issue by 29 per cent.

The ratings of Canadians concerns suggest one reason why Mr. Harper has been canvassing staffers for policy initiatives to prepare a new policy agenda for the fall: He needs a new issue. The Conservatives have shifted tone on the environment so that they do not cede political ground to the Liberals, Bloc, and NDP, but it has never been viewed as their strong suit. And hammering on Liberal corruption shows little promise of striking a chord the way it once did.

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