Public Opinion Polls

Sovereignty doesn’t appear on the Parti Québécois' wish list for this year, but a new public opinion poll has given it renewed hope for the future.

In fact, many Québécois already see themselves as politically independent, said Minister of International Affairs Jean-François Lisée, while commenting on a CROP poll showing support for sovereignty at 44 per cent, a three-point increase over the previous CROP poll in November.

“The distance between Quebec and Canada is growing. It is as though at many levels Quebec is already independent in its mind, in its way of making decisions,” Mr. Lisée said.

According to the minister, Quebec and Canada are slowly drifting apart and Canada has become an “impediment” to Quebec. Ottawa’s decision to impose a toll on the future Champlain Bridge and its threat to challenge the PQ secular charter banning overt religious symbols in the public sector were examples of how the federal government’s interventions were hindering Quebec’s ability to make “sound decisions,” he said.

Mr. Lisée called it the “decanadianization” of Quebec and the “dequebecization” of Canada, comparing the relationship to that of an old couple on the brink of divorce.

“We are not angry at each other. We don’t love each other very much. We are just indifferent. We barely talk. We are in different bedrooms. At some point there is going to be an issue that says: Okay, this couple has been over for a while. Let’s have separate apartments,” Mr. Lisée said.

Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard was surprised and disappointed by Mr. Lisée’s comments. Mr. Couillard insisted that Quebecois helped build Canada and were still attached to the country. According to the Liberal Leader, a senior minister such as Mr. Lisée has a duty to represent all Quebecois regardless of their political beliefs.

Works Cited:

"PQ Touts Quebec's 'decanadianization,' Citing New Poll's Findings." The Globe and Mail. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pq-touts-quebecs-decanadianization-citing-new-polls-findings/article15905393/>.

"Bloc Québécois." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloc_Québécois>