More than one in three Canadians says that climate change is the biggest threat facing the world today, according to a new poll conducted for CTV and The Globe and Mail.

The national survey, conducted by the Strategic Counsel between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, found that 36 per cent of those surveyed think global warming is the world's biggest threat. The gap between rich and poor was the second biggest concern for Canadians, with 14 per cent putting it at the top of their list.

Canadians also appear to be out of step with the foreign policy priorities coming out of Washington. Only 11 per cent of Canadians think that terrorism is the biggest global threat, tied with the 11 per cent of those surveyed who picked "lack of respect for human rights." Meanwhile 9 per cent say American foreign policy is at the top of their threat list.

The results should send a message to Stephen Harper's government, said the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo.

"The risk here for the government is that they may not have the same priorities or see the same risks as the public," said Donolo.

Donolo said that climate change and global poverty concerns show that "soft power" issues rise to the top for Canadians, while "hard power" concerns such as terrorism are less important.

The results suggest that the Liberals' focus on global warming may help the party because the issue resonates well with the public, said Donolo. But he warns that the fact that only 36 per cent of Canadians put climate change as the biggest threat suggests that there is no clear consensus about the issue.

Other findings of the poll include:

• 39 per cent think that Canada's foreign policy is less independent than 50 years ago
• 25 per cent believe that Canada's relationship with U.S. is the major factor influencing domestic foreign policy today
• Only 5 per cent say that the Canada-U.S. relationship should be the major factor influencing Canadian foreign policy today
• 33 per cent believe saying 'no' to involvement in Iraq is Canada's greatest foreign policy achievement
• 10 per cent say signing NAFTA was the greatest foreign policy achievement while another 10 per cent say it's the current mission in Afghanistan

Mulroney-Schreiber Saga

On the domestic front, the CTV and Globe and Mail poll also asked Canadians about the Mulroney-Schreiber saga. It found that 6 per cent were closely following the media coverage surrounding former prime Minister Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber. Meanwhile, 32 per cent were somewhat closely following the coverage, 31 per cent not very closely, and 20 per cent were not at all following the saga.

Canadians are also split on whether or not they want an inquiry into the matter. Schreiber, who has been given a temporary reprieve from an extradition order to German -- where he's facing criminal charges -- has made a variety of allegations about his dealings with the former prime minister. They include claims about speaking to him about lobbying activities in Mulroney's final days in office and cash payments after he left office. Mulroney has denied all accusations of wrongdoing and none of the allegations has been proven in court.

Only 45 per cent of Canadians believe there is a need for a public inquiry now that Schreiber and Mulroney will give testimony to a parliamentary committee. Forty-four per cent say an inquiry is not necessary.

Tim Woolstencroft of the Strategic Counsel says the survey's findings suggest that there is "a certain amount of exhaustion" regarding the saga. He says, for many people, the issues are not only confusing but they are also too far in the past.

"For anyone under 40, who's Brian Mulroney?" asked Woolstencroft. "There's no clear thread, storyline, so, people are basically tuning it out."

Other findings about Mulroney-Shcreiber include:

• 38 per cent of those surveyed say they're closely following Mulroney-Schreiber saga
• 51 per cent say Harper has done a good job handling saga
• 30 per cent say Harper has done a  poor job handling saga
• 59 per cent say Schreiber should extradited after public inquiry
• 30 per cent say Schreiber should be extradited now

The Strategic Counsel poll surveyed 1,000 people across the country. The margin of error is 3.1 per cent.