Quebec Gets Most From Canada: POLL

Published 07/15/2024 · Updated 07/15/2024

As Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders meet in Halifax this week, new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute reveals the extent to which Canadians feel some provinces get more out of the Canadian confederation than others, be it investment, respect, or power.

Asked whether they feel some provinces receive more from or give more to confederation than others, Quebec and Alberta continue to occupy opposite sides of this equation. As in 2019, when ARI last canvassed this issue, Quebec is most likely to be seen to be benefiting disproportionately from its place in the nation. Two-in-five (42%) say Quebec garners an extra advantage (including one-in-five Quebecers). Majorities in every region other than Ontario and Quebec say the latter “gets” more than it “gives”.

Conversely, Alberta is again the top when Canadians are asked which provinces give more than they receive. One-quarter say this (23%). That proportion is 10-points higher than any other province, with Ontario placing second (13%). That said, Saskatchewan residents are most upset when appraising their own province, with 58 per cent saying they feel they get a bad deal.

The long held opinion that the west is treated unfairly in confederation persists, at least west of Ontario. At least four-in-five residents in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba say that “Ottawa always favours Ontario and Quebec”.

More Key Findings:

A majority in every province except Quebec (46%) say federal government policies have “hurt” their provincial economy in recent years. However, at most one-in-five believe the federal government has “helped”.
Residents of British Columbia are the most likely to say their “province is respected by the rest of the country”; two-thirds (64%) say this. Agreement to this statement elsewhere in the country ranges from 44 per cent in Ontario to 22 per cent in Saskatchewan.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/