Quebecers say racism is a serious issue: poll
Observers hope awareness of the problem will translate into action
A Mainstreet poll released Tuesday found that 59 per cent of Quebecers believe racial discrimination is a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” issue in the province, with little variation among age groups or regions.
While women were more likely than men to see racism as a serious issue — 61 per cent versus 55 per cent — there was nevertheless a strong majority of respondents in all groups who felt it was important. The biggest difference appeared between language groups — 24 per cent of francophones say racial discrimination is a “very serious” problem compared to 36 per cent of non-francophones.
But another 33 per cent of francophones said it was a somewhat serious problem, for a total of 57 per cent.
According to David Valentin, the executive vice-president of Mainstreet Research, which produced the poll for the Montreal Gazette, the results may reflect a new awareness of racism after a particularly volatile period in Quebec.
“We’ve seen in the past few months more high profile incidents involving xenophobia in Quebec, including of course the attack on the Ste-Foy mosque,” Valentin said.
“Subsequent vandalism targeted at specific communities followed, including in Montreal, which may be partly why Quebecers are noting this as a serious issue.”
Six people were killed and 19 others were injured Jan. 29, when a gunman opened fire inside a mosque in Quebec City.
In the aftermath, thousands of people in Montreal and Quebec City showed their sympathy and solidarity for the victims and their families, as well as the Muslim community.
But there was also a spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes after the mass shooting.
Three days later, the Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence in Montreal had received 24 calls about hate crimes, including 10 related to Islamophobia and four related to the extreme right.
The Montreal Police received 14 calls about hate crimes or hate incidents in the two days that followed the shooting.
Then there were the online threats and vandalism of a mosque in Point St-Charles.
Valentin said the marked difference between women and men could be attributed to the fact women tend to pay more attention to the news — consistently across the country — and are more attuned to social issues.
“When we ask about different news stories — the (Mike) Duffy trial in Ottawa or the (Jian) Ghomeshi trial in Toronto — women are more attentive.”
With regards to racism, awareness isn’t just about news in Quebec, Valentin said, but about the narrative in Canada and around the world — including south of the border — that suggests things might be getting worse for people of colour.
As for the discrepancy between francophones and non-francophones in Quebec, Valentin said those who may have experienced racism are obviously more aware of it.
“Some of the communities who don’t speak French might be experiencing that discrimination,” Valentin said. “And we know there’s a small amount of linguistic discrimination, which goes both ways depending on the area of town you’re in.”
Haroun Bouazzi, the president of AMAL-Québec, and a member of the task force looking into systemic racism in Quebec for the Liberal government, says he hopes awareness of the problem will translate into the will to do something about it — on the part of politicians and the public alike.
“It’s encouraging that the majority feel racism is a problem in society,” Bouazzi said.
“If we’re not at 100 per cent of people (who believe it’s a serious problem), it’s because of a lack of action to increase awareness of these problems.”
For Bouazzi and the other members of the advisory committee, who are now looking into the best way to consult the public, it’s not just about hate crimes and specific racist acts or slurs, but about institutionalized or systemic racism: discrimination in hiring practices, racial profiling, institutional barriers to recognizing foreign diplomas, under-representation of visible minorities in the media and at the National Assembly.
One of the potential solutions being put forward to combat systemic racism is a “Council to fight racism,” akin to the Council on the Status of Women and modelled after the Anti-Racism Directorate in Ontario, Bouazzi said.
Created in February 2016 with an initial budget of $5 million, the Directorate held public meetings across Ontario last year, and recently announced a three-year action plan to fight systemic racism.
In Quebec, however, the government’s commitment to look into systemic racism has met with opposition. Fearing that Quebecers would be “put on trial” at public hearings, the Parti Québécois has started a petition calling for action — not more talk that would stir up racial tensions.
As the poll makes clear, a segment of the population doesn’t believe racism in Quebec is a serious problem, deserving of a full-on public consultation, Valentin said.
In fact, 13 per cent of francophones and 16 per cent of men surveyed said the problem of racial discrimination in Quebec was “not at all serious.”
The other choices were “not too serious,” “somewhat serious,” “very serious” or “not sure.”
Valentin said he was not surprised by the range of opinions — either of the minority who dismiss the issue or the majority who are concerned.
“These results speak volumes about how Quebecers see themselves,” Valentin said.
“The assumption is that Quebec is too fragile to discuss these questions. But I don’t think they’re afraid to admit that there are problems here ... It’s not to say racism is rampant in Quebec, but it’s a serious issue and I think people want it addressed.”
Mainstreet surveyed 1,501 Quebec residents April 12-13 through live interviews on cellphones and land lines. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
And we know there’s a small amount of linguistic discrimination, which goes both ways depending on the area of town you’re in.