As Quebec City Celebrates 400th Anniversary, Majority (63%) Of Quebecers Believe French Language Needs More Protection In Canada Compared With Only One In Ten (11%) In The Rest Of Canada

Toronto, ON - As the country gathers to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, a new Ipsos Reid poll finds that Quebecers and those living in the rest of Canada ("ROC") have differing opinions on the significance of the event, the protection of the French language, and on other key points relating to Quebec's place in Canada.

Focusing first on the French language, two thirds (63%) of Quebecers believe it needs more protection', differing greatly in opinion from those in the ROC where only one in ten (11%) believes the language needs more protection. Three in ten (27%) Quebecers believe it has `sufficient protection' (44% in ROC), and one in ten (10%) Quebecers believe it has `too much protection' (44% in ROC).

One area where Canadians inside and outside of Canada agree is regarding the Quebec independence movement. A majority (51% in Quebec, 57% in ROC) believes that the Quebec independence movement is `dormant, but ready to start up again at any moment', while a minority (39% in Quebec, 31% in ROC) believes that the independence movement is `in decline with little chance of a resurgence'. Some Canadians (4% in Quebec, 9% in ROC) believe that it is `rising and gaining momentum), while very few (6% in Quebec, 3% in ROC) think that the threat is `eliminated completely'.

Aside from that, however, Quebec and the rest of Canada more divergent views on some other issues. When presented with three differing views on what the founding of Quebec City 400 years ago could represent for them, most (46%) Quebecers say that for them it represents `the founding of Quebec and the Quebecois nation', while only one quarter (24%) of those living in the rest of Canada agree with this option.

On the other hand, most (45%) of the ROC says that Quebec's founding represents `the founding of French Canada, both inside and outside of Quebec', while only one third (33%) of Quebecers adopt this option. Interestingly, only three in ten (31%) Quebecers and two in ten (21%) in ROC believe it to be `the founding of Canada and the Canadian nation'.

In a similar vein, a majority (51%) of Quebecers believe that Canada is `a nation of two founding cultures', a view shared by only one third (33%) of the ROC. The most often-cited response from those in the ROC is that Canada is `a nation with one dominant culture and several equal minorities' (46%), while only 18% of Quebecers agreed with this assessment. One third of Quebecers (31%) believe that Canada `is a nation with one dominant culture and a French minority', but only two in ten (21%) in the ROC believe that this is the best way to describe Canada.

Thinking about the motion adopted in the House of Commons in 2006, that `the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada', seven in ten (72%) Quebecers `agree' (23% strongly/49% somewhat) with this motion, while only one third (36%) of those in the ROC `agree' (7% strongly/29% somewhat).

All things considered, six in ten (60%) Canadians say that it is now time to make some `substantial changes' to the way Canada works (59% Quebec, 61% ROC). On the other hand, four in ten (40%) are `more or less satisfied with the way things work' at the moment (41% Quebec, 39% ROC).

Looking back to when this question was asked in 1995, following the referendum on Quebec sovereignty, the current sentiment for substantial change to the way Canada works is down six points since 1995, and the proportion of Canadians who are satisfied with the way things work in Canada is up eleven points since the end of the referendum.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted from 06/23 to 06/26, 2008. This online survey of 2,505 Canadian adults (including 932 Quebecers) was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. An unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Six in ten (62%) Canadians Living Outside of Quebec Have traveled to Quebec...

Six in ten (62%) Canadians living outside Quebec have traveled to Quebec for reasons other than business in their lifetime. Counting all this time up, nearly half of Canadians have either spent less than a week in Quebec (24%) or more than a week but less than a month (20%). One in ten (7%) says the total time is between one and six months, while for 12% of Canadians, their total time on vacation in Quebec is more than six months. Four in ten (38%), meanwhile, have never visited Quebec for a non-business reason.

• Canadians living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (59%) are most likely to have never traveled to Quebec for non-business reasons, followed by residents of Alberta (55%), British Columbia (51%), Atlantic Canada (34%) and Ontario (26%).
• Women (42%) are more likely than men (32%) to have never traveled to Quebec for a non-business reason.
• Middle-aged (45%) and younger (37%) Canadians are more likely than older Canadians (28%) to say they have never traveled to Quebec for a non-business reason.

Eight in ten (78%) Who Have Spent Time in Quebec Recommend it as a Vacation Spot...

Of those Canadians who do not live in Quebec but have spent some time there, eight in ten (78%) recommend it as a vacation spot. Conversely, two in ten (22%) would not.

• Those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (81%) are most likely to give Quebec the thumbs-up as a vacation spot, followed by residents of Ontario (79%), British Columbia (76%), Atlantic Canada (74%) and Alberta (74%).
• Women (79%) are slightly more likely than men (77%) to say the same.
• Younger Canadians (87%) are more likely than middle-aged (74%) or older (76%) Canadians to recommend Quebec as a vacation spot.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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