Montreal

Majority of Quebecers believe question of independence is settled: poll

Quebecers aren't inclined to revisit the question of independence any time soon, a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute suggests, with 82 per cent of those surveyed agreeing that ultimately, Quebec should stay in Canada.

Angus Reid Institute survey comes as Parti Québécois prepares to select a new leader

The desire of Quebecers to seperate from Canada is on the decline, a new poll suggests. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

Most Quebecers don't want to revisit the question of independence any time soon, a new poll suggests.

A full 82 per cent of Quebec respondents to a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with CBC agreed with the statement, "Ultimately, Quebec should stay in Canada."

When broken down by language group, 73 per cent of francophone respondents said Quebec should remain in Canada.

In addition, 64 per cent of francophone Quebecers surveyed agreed with the statement that "issue of Quebec sovereignty is settled, and Quebec will remain in Canada." 

Across Canada, 84 per cent of respondents said Quebec should stay in Canada, while 69 per cent agreed that the issue of sovereignty is settled.

Quebecers were, however, found to be more muted in terms of national pride.

Martine Ouellet has committed to holding a referendum in her first term if she becomes premier. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)
A total of 31 per cent of Quebecers questioned said they were "very proud" to be Canadian and 31 per cent said they were "proud."

Canada-wide, 52 per cent of respondents said they were "very proud" while 27 per cent said they were "proud."

The results come only days ahead of the Parti Québécois leadership vote on Oct. 5. One of the more heated questions during the race has been when the party should hold a referendum if it gets back in power.

But only one candidate, Martine Ouellet, has committed to holding one in her first mandate if she's elected premier.

The results were part of a national survey exploring the values, beliefs, priorities and identity of Canadians.

The online poll was conducted between Sept. 6–12, 2016, among a representative randomized sample of 3,904 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. There is no margin of error on online polls.

For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.