Majority (68%) of Canadians Support Bill 62-Style Law in their Province

Toronto, Ontario, October 28, 2017 — A majority of Canadians support (68%) legislation similar to Quebec’s Bill 62 in their own province, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for Global News.

The Quebec National Assembly recently passed Bill 62, which is meant to establish measures to foster adherence to State religious neutrality. Under the bill, personnel members of public bodies and of certain other bodies must exercise their functions with their face uncovered, unless they have to cover their face, in particular because of their working conditions or because of occupational or task-related requirements. In addition, persons receiving services from such personnel members must have their face uncovered.

Within Quebec, three quarters (76%) support (42% strongly/34% somewhat) the legislation, while only one quarter (24%) opposes it (10% strongly/14% somewhat).

Moreover, a majority of Canadians in every region of the country support this type of legislation being introduced in their province:

• In British Columbia, 69% support (37% strongly/32% somewhat); 31% oppose (17% strongly/14% somewhat).
• In Alberta, 64% support (36% strongly/27% somewhat), 36% oppose (10% strongly/26% somewhat).
• In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 69% support (53% strongly/16% somewhat); 31% oppose (10% strongly/21% somewhat).
• In Ontario, 66% support (37% strongly/29% somewhat); 34% oppose (14% strongly/20% somewhat).
• In Atlantic Canada, 57% support (30% strongly/27% somewhat); 43% oppose (29% strongly/14% somewhat). 

Nationally, men (73%) are significantly more supportive of this legislation than women (64%). Those 55 and older are most supportive (75%), followed closely by those aged 35-54 (72%). Those 18-34 are much less supportive (53%), although still a slim majority does support this type of legislation.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 23 and 25, 2017 for Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
416-324-2001
[email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of Canadian American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In Canada, Ipsos Public Affairs is the polling partner for Global News. Internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks fourth in the global research industry.

With offices in 88 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; public affairs research; and survey management. Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of €1,782.7 million in 2016.