60% of Canadians say Québec is moving farther away from the rest of the country
New Abacus Data poll reveals more Canadians feel negatively than positively about the direction that Québec is headed, but no longer consider separation an imminent threat.
OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 21, 2022 /CNW/ - With Québec getting ready for an election on Oct. 3, Boudeweel Public Affairs has teamed up with Abacus Data to ask Canadians about their perceptions of the province, its politics and relationship with the rest of the country.
"Our survey findings reveal that most Canadians feel Québec is moving farther away from the rest of the country at this moment, but they don't seem concerned that the province will actually separate," said David Boudeweel-Lefebvre, CEO of Boudeweel Public Affairs. "We also gained valuable insights into how Canadians within Québec and the rest of Canada feel about the province's handling of key issues, and the potential re-election of the Legault government. For the most part, Canadians outside Québec aren't giving Premier Legault a blank cheque, and a significant portion say he could weaken national unity."
Canadians feel more negatively than positively about the direction Québec is heading
After factoring out survey respondents who said they aren't sure whether Québec is moving closer or farther away from the rest of Canada:
- 61% from the rest of Canada, as well as 59% within Québec, said the province is moving farther away or at least slightly farther away.
- 20% from the rest of Canada, compared to 22% within Québec, said the province is moving closer or at least somewhat closer.
- 20% from the rest of Canada, compared to 19% within Québec, said the province is neither moving closer nor farther away.
Québec separation is no longer on the table, according to most Canadians
When asked about the likelihood that Québec will separate from Canada within the next 10 years, the vast majority of survey respondents expressed fairly low confidence in this possibility: Very few respondents from outside Québec said separation definitely will happen (4%) or is likely to happen (9%); only 6% of respondents from within Québec said separation definitely will happen and just 7% said it's likely to happen.
Mixed feelings about the potential return of a Legault government
When asked about the upcoming Québec election on Oct. 3, at least 88% of survey respondents from within the province and 39% from the rest of Canada said they are at least somewhat interested in the outcome.
If the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) led by François Legault is re-elected, half of respondents from outside Québec who expressed an opinion said this would be a bad thing for national unity.
Canadians outside Québec have negative perceptions of the province on a few key issues
When asked how Québec is handling key issues compared to other provinces, a significant portion of survey respondents from outside Québec said the province is doing worse in the following areas:
- Language rights (41% said worse)
- Religious rights and freedoms (37% said worse)
- Integrating immigrants into the province (35% said worse)
For a full summary of the poll's key findings please visit: https://abacusdata.ca/quebec-provincial-election/
All results were compiled from a survey conducted by Abacus Data with 1,900 Canadian adults from Sept. 9 to 14, 2022. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.4%, 19 times out of 20.
David Boudeweel-Lefebvre has worked 20+ years in politics and government affairs. He founded Boudeweel Public Affairs in 2020 to help English-speaking business clients successfully navigate French-speaking Quebec. A more complete bio detailing David's career can be provided upon request.
To learn more about Boudeweel Public Affairs please visit: boudeweel.com
David Boudeweel-Lefebvre is available to comment on this poll and its findings.
Twitter: @BoudeweelPA
Skype: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-boudeweel-lefebvre-b4b4416a
SOURCE Boudeweel Public Affairs
Or to book an interview, please contact: Marlee Wasser, Communication and Media Support, Phone: 416-799-3714, Email: [email protected]; David Boudeweel-Lefebvre, CEO of Boudeweel Public Affairs, Phone: 613-325-3298, Email: [email protected]
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