EDMONTON — Quebec residents' willingness to vote in favour of independence is lacking, similar to that of Albertans, according to a new poll released on Wednesday. An Angus Reid Institute survey on Quebec independence, the second part of their three-part series on Alberta and Quebec independence, showed that only 26% of respondents would vote in favour of independence if a referendum were held on the topic at the time of polling, Feb. 2 through 6. Conversely, an ARI survey on Alberta independence released on Feb. 9 found that 29% of respondents would vote in favour of independence if a referendum were held at the time of polling. The difference between the provinces, however, was that Quebec had more committed pro-independence voters, with 15% of respondents saying they would definitely vote to leave, compared to 8% in Alberta. .The ARI survey found that support for Quebec independence resides primarily among Parti Québécois supporters (64%), similar to Alberta and UCP supporters (57%). Once again, however, more Quebec respondents showed a deeper commitment to voting in favour of independence, with 42% of PQ supporters, a pro-independence party, saying they would "definitely" vote to leave, compared to 16% of UCP supporters. .Quebec's French language and identity appear to be a driving force behind its independence movement. The ARI survey found that 30% of French-speaking respondents would vote in favour of Quebec independence, compared to less than 6% of English speakers. Results also showed that the idea resonated with individuals who oppose independence, with 50% of respondents who definitely oppose independence agreeing that Quebec has a "unique identity distinct from Canada and Canadians." The idea of Alberta having a unique identity does not resonate with Albertans: only 9% of respondents who definitely oppose independence and 78% who definitely support independence agree with it. Albertans tend to be more motivated by economic reasons.Among Albertans who would vote against independence, 35% said Alberta gives more to Canada than it gets, and 29% agreed that Alberta would be freed from harmful federal economic policies. .The ARI survey also found that respondents from Quebec who would vote against independence were more willing than Albertans to remain in their province if a referendum result favoured independence.Results showed thatt 54% of Quebec respondents who would not vote for independence if a referendum were held at the time of polling, would choose to continue living in an independent Quebec.Conversely, 23% of Alberta respondents who would vote against independence would choose to remain in an independent Alberta.A conversation about where Albertans get their news followed the ARI survey on Alberta independence, after it found that 71% of respondents who would vote to stay said they get their independence news from mainstream media sources, compared to 28% of those who would vote to leave. Conversely, 50% of those who would vote to leave got it from alternative media sources, compared to 18% of those who would not vote to stay. There is no such discrepancy in Quebec, as 84% who would vote to leave and 79% of those who would vote to stay got their news from the mainstream media. Alternative media sources accounted for 13% of those in favour of leaving and 10% of those in favour of staying. The topic of Quebec independence is expected to remain a focus as the province approaches a fall provincial election, with the PQ leading in many polls.The PQ led the province during its independence referendums in 1980 and 1995. They have promised to hold another independence referendum by 2030 if they are elected.Alberta independence is expected to draw headlines into the fall as well, as a petition calling for a referendum on independence is scheduled to be submitted by May 2. If they can gather enough signatures, the Premier has said an independence vote could be held in the fall.
