Canadians' Response to the "Calgary Accord"

Canadians - both within and outside Quebec - have responded positively to the "Calgary Accord" and are accepting of its linkage of the concepts of provincial equality and the unique character of Quebec. These findings emerged from a National Angus Reid Poll conducted among 1,503 Canadians between September 23rd and 30th, 1997.

Most Canadians believe that the initiative is "a step in the right direction", but most are reserving judgement as to what impact this will have on the prospects for Quebec sovereignty.

The highlights of the poll findings include:

A Step In the Right Direction

  • Overall, over two-thirds (70%) of Canadians surveyed - including 73 percent of non-Quebecers and 62 percent of Quebecers - said they view the nine Premiers' national unity initiative as "a positive step in the right direction". This compares to only 24 percent (32% in Quebec) saying it was "a mistake for the Premiers to re-open this issue." (Table 1)

Provincial Equality and a Unique Quebec

  • The poll also suggests a positive initial response to the proposal's linkage of provincial equality with "the unique character of Quebec". (Table 2)
  • Asked for their response to some of the key elements of the proposal, fully 86 percent of Canadians surveyed agreed with its assertion that all provinces "should have equality of status" (including nine in 10 non-Quebecers and two in three Quebecers). With respect to Quebec, two-thirds (66%) of Canadians surveyed (including eight in ten Quebecers and six in ten non-Quebecers) agreed with the accord's recognition of "the unique character of Quebec society" and the Quebec government's "role to protect and develop the unique character of Quebec society within Canada". Thirty percent disagreed - rising to four in ten in western Canada, although the survey still found majority agreement across the western regions.
    • Further, by a margin of two to one (65% versus 32%) the Canadians surveyed were of the broad position that it is possible for reform of Canada's federal system to include both these elements -provincial equality and Quebec's uniqueness. This view was recorded among a solid margin in all major regions of the country. (Table 2)

Impact On Prospects For Quebec Sovereignty

  • Most Canadians -- 57 percent of those surveyed -- expect "this initiative will make no difference to the likelihood of Quebec staying or separating". Still, those remaining were three times as likely to say they believe the Premiers' meeting and proposal makes it more likely rather than less likely that Quebec will stay in Canada (30% versus 7%), Interestingly, and consistent with many of the other findings emerging from this sounding, Quebecers' views on this question reflect those of English-speaking Canadians: 55 percent of Quebecers expect no impact, 29 percent believe the proposal makes it more likely Quebec will stay in Canada while 12 percent believe it makes it less likely. (Table 3)
    • And in fact, these perceptions reflect the proposal's initial impact on Quebecers' views on sovereignty. A majority of 53 percent of Quebecers surveyed said this has made no difference on their views on the best future for Quebec. But the other half of Quebecers polled were more likely to say that this initiative leaves them more in favour of Quebec staying in Canada as opposed to more in favour of Quebec sovereignty - 32 percent versus 14 percent respectively. As would be expected, reaction on this front varies sharply between "Yes" and "No" voters. (Table 3)

Survey Methodology

  • This National Angus Reid Poll was conducted by telephone between September 23rd and 30th, 1997 among a representative cross-section of 1,503 Canadian adults.
  • The actual number of completed interviews in each region is as follows: B.C. - 200; Alberta - 150; Manitoba/Saskatchewan - 120; Ontario - 513; Quebec - 400; Atlantic - 120. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1991 and 1996 Census data.
  • With a national sample of 1,500, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within ±2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(613) 241-5802

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900

Bob Richardson
Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900

Christian Bourque
Directeur de recherche Affaires Publiques
(514) 877-5550

Download

Related news