Most Albertans and Ontarians believe their provinces would be better off with a different premier in charge.
Vancouver, BC [August 20, 2021] – While almost half of Canadians believe their province would benefit from having a different prime minister, fewer residents of Quebec are expressing sympathy towards secession, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 25% of Quebecers believe their province would be better off as its own country, down 11 points since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in May 2020.
Only Alberta has a larger proportion of residents who believe they would be better off as a nation (28%, unchanged since May 2020, and lower than the 40% observed in December 2019).
Almost half of Canadians (47%) think their province would be better off with a different Prime Minister in Ottawa, up nine points since May 2020.
More than half of residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (58%) yearn for someone other than Justin Trudeau to have responsibility over the federal government. The proportion is lower in Alberta (50%), Ontario (48%), British Columbia (46%), Atlantic Canada (38%) and Quebec (37%).
When asked is their province would be better off with a different premier in charge, 47% of Canadians agreed, while just over a third (37%) disagreed. Two thirds of Albertans (68%) and a majority of Ontarians (54%) think their provinces would be better off with a different head of government.
“Since May 2020, the numbers for the premiers of Alberta and Ontario have worsened on this question,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “There is an increase in negative perceptions of eight points for Jason Kenney in Alberta and of 16 points for Doug Ford in Ontario.”
The proportion of residents who are not particularly pleased with their premiers is lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (50%), Quebec (38%), Atlantic Canada (37%) and British Columbia (36%).
Across Canada, only 13% of respondents believe their province would be better off joining the United States and becoming an American state, down four points since May 2020. This feeling is more prevalent among residents of Alberta and Quebec (each at 17%).
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from August 12 to August 14, 2021, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error – which measures sample variability – is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490 [e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca