Views on racism divided by language

Quebec’s non-francophones are much more likely to identify racism as a problem than the province’s francophones, according to a new poll.

The poll found that 37 per cent of non-francophones called racism a big problem in the province, compared to 10 per cent of francophones.

The survey was done in advance of an upcoming series of public consultations on racism by the Quebec government in September.

Most respondents said they believe the consultations will be useful — 24 per cent of Quebecers said they would be very useful, and 33 per cent said somewhat useful.

Again, non-francophones were more likely to say the consultations would be useful than francophones.

The results came from a Mainstreet/Postmedia poll produced for the Montreal Gazette, which surveyed 1,501 Quebecers between Aug. 8 and 10.

The public consultations in September will focus on systemic discrimination and racism in Quebec society, notably in employment, education, health care and housing, but also in the fields of public security and culture.

The Parti Québécois likened the process to “putting Quebec on trial,” and said it will postpone meaningful action. But other groups fighting for the consultations since last August were pleased.

At the beginning of September, Quebecers will be able to fill out a questionnaire online or submit a brief to the government. People will be able to share their own experiences of discrimination or racism, or offer solutions to the problem, through consultations held by non-profit organizations.

In November, a public forum will be held to share some of the testimony and findings of the working groups. By February, the Quebec Human Rights Commission is set to share its recommendations with the government.

Liberal and Québec solidaire supporters were most likely to identify racism as a problem in the poll, with 19 per cent of Liberal supporters and 20 per cent of QS supporters calling it a “big problem.”

Nine per cent of Parti Québécois supporters said the same, and 53 per cent of this group said racism was “somewhat of a problem.”

All in all, most Quebecers surveyed found racism to be an issue in the province, but not a big one. Forty-one per cent of participants said racism was somewhat of a problem, and 24 per cent said it was a little problem.

Only 14 per cent of Quebec residents surveyed said racism was a big problem, and 15 per cent said it was not a problem at all.

When compared to the rest of Canada, most Quebecers said Quebec has less or just as much racism as the rest of the country.

“There are no real differences among Quebecers when we asked how Quebec compares on this issue to the rest of Canada,” said David Valentin, spokesperson for Mainstreet Research.

“Only 10 per cent said Quebec has more racism, while 42 per cent said it has just as much racism as the rest of the country.”

Of those surveyed, 25 per cent said Quebec has less racism than the rest of Canada, and 23 per cent said they weren’t sure.

The margin of error on this poll is plus or minus 2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.