Quebecers’ appreciation for Canada surging, survey finds

As this country prepares to celebrate its 153rd birthday on Wednesday, a survey has found that pride in Canada amongst Quebecers seems to be surging in the era of COVID-19.

Every year around Canada Day, the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) commissions the Leger Marketing firm to do a survey on issues that touch on identity and symbols in Canada. This year, the online survey consulted 1,524 Canadians between June 26-28 and found that 80 per cent of Quebecers said they are proud to be Canadian, compared to 93 per cent of those who live in the rest of Canada. (This type of survey has a probable margin of error of 3.5 points, 19 times out of 20).

But what Jack Jedwab, CEO of ACS, found most interesting in the responses was that 44 per cent of Quebecers said they were “very attached” to Canada; the highest percentage of strong attachment since he began asking that question 20 years ago. (Another 37 per cent of Quebecers said they are “somewhat” attached to Canada).

“I think generally the way the crisis has been handled and the degree of mutual support that you’ve seen across the country has reminded people that in crisis times there are things we all value in this country,” Jedwab said, giving as examples the universal health-care system, diversity and multiculturalism.

He said having more than 1,000 Canadian soldiers come to Quebec to help out in homes for the elderly during the crisis “has contributed to good feeling among people in the province.”

“A lot of people are feeling good about Canada and are proud of how the country has handled itself in this crisis,” Jedwab said. “They look across the border, the one that’s closed, and they think that by comparison, despite some serious challenges, we’ve done reasonably well.”

Almost all of those surveyed — 94 per cent — said universal health care was important to them as a source of personal or collective pride. Among Quebec respondents, 69 per cent said universal health care was “very important”, compared to 79 per cent in the rest of Canada. Other potential sources of pride explored in the survey were official languages and bilingualism and multiculturalism.

Among those Canadians surveyed who speak French as a mother tongue, 87 per cent said “official languages and bilingualism” are a very important or somewhat important source of pride, versus 68 per cent of those who speak English as a first language and 79 per cent of those with another language as their mother tongue. On multiculturalism, 71 per cent of Quebecers surveyed said it is somewhat or very important to their sense of pride, versus 82 per cent of those in the rest of Canada.

“I think in the COVID period some of the friction and tensions are falling away, and the ability to appeal to those tensions and the insecurities people feel on the basis of the Quebec-canada historic conflict have really diminished quite a bit,” Jedwab said.

He noted that even among Bloc Québécois voters surveyed, twothirds said they are proud to be Canadian.