In an independent Quebec more than half the population wants to keep their Canadian citizenship: poll
If La Belle Province votes for independence, 58 per cent of Quebecers believe they should be allowed to retain their Canadian citizenship, according to a new poll.
Just over a quarter of Quebecers (26 per cent) indicated they should have to give up their Canadian citizenship in an independent Quebec, said the poll conducted last month by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies.
Meanwhile, one third of Canadians polled indicated Quebecers should be allowed to remain Canadian citizens if Quebec becomes an independent country, while 45 per cent said they should not.
“If Quebec breaks off, clearly we’re going to have to review this issue,” said Jack Jedwab, the association’s president.
“Citizenship entails responsibilities.”
The new poll results come in the wake of Quebec Premier Francois Legault’s resignation, and months ahead of an election that could see his Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) lose power to a resurgent Parti Québécois (PQ) that’s been consistently leading in the polls. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised a referendum on sovereignty if his party wins in October.
More than half (54 per cent) of Francophone Quebecers said the French language would be much more secure in an independent Quebec, with 34 per cent indicating it would not, according to the poll conducted last month.
Among Anglophone Quebecers, 27 per cent thought independence would make the French language much more secure, while 54 per cent indicated otherwise.
“What this question suggests is that the obvious driver for Quebecers is language and not a better economy, or a greater status internationally, neither of which the majority of Quebecers think would be the outcome of independence,” Jedwab said.
Among those who say independence would make the French language more secure in Quebec, 49 per cent said English-speaking Quebecers would not be better off in an independent Quebec, with 23 per cent saying they would.
Only five per cent of those who said independence would not make the French language more secure indicated English-speaking Quebecers would be better off in an independent Quebec, with 86 per cent saying the opposite.
“Quebecers acknowledge that the push for independence isn’t about the interest of all Quebecers,” Jedwab said. “It’s about protecting the language of the majority, at least from the standpoint of the vast majority of Quebecers.”
Only 13 per cent of Canadians believe ethnic minorities would be better off in an independent Quebec, with 58 per cent saying they would not. In Quebec, 15 per cent of respondents indicated ethnic minorities would be better off in an independent Quebec, and 57 per cent said they would not.
“If we go back to (the last Quebec referendum) in 1995, you’ll remember that (then Parti Québécois premier) Jacques Parizeau blamed ethnic votes and money for Quebec not achieving independence,” Jedwab said. “The reality is that the majority of Quebecers don’t think that independence is in the interest of those very ethnic minorities that voted overwhelmingly against it and then got stigmatized for doing so.”
Among Quebecers who thought ethnic minorities would fare better in an independent Quebec, 65 per cent indicated ethnic minorities should give up their customs and traditions and become more like the majority, while 28 per cent said they should not. Among those who thought ethnic minorities would not be better off in an independent Quebec, 43 per cent said they should give up their customs and traditions, versus 46 per cent who said they should not.
Two thirds of Canadians (64 per cent) believe Quebecers would not be better off in an independent Quebec, according to the poll.
Only 16 per cent of Canadians believe Quebecers would be better off in that scenario.
In Quebec, 27 per cent of respondents indicated Quebec would be better off as an independent country, and 57 per cent said the opposite.
“That’s more or less in line with the current polling on the extent to which Quebecers support independence,” Jedwab said.
Interestingly, 26 per cent of Albertans said Quebecers would be better off in an independent Quebec, with 61 per cent indicating they would not.
“I think that’s a bit of a reflection of Albertan’s separatist sentiment,” Jedwab said.
One in five Canadians (21 per cent) said Canada would be better off without Quebec, with 61 per cent indicating it would not.
Only 14 per cent of Canadians believe Quebecers would be better off economically as part of an independent country, with 63 per cent indicating the opposite. In Quebec, those who believe they’d be better off in that scenario rises to 26 per cent, while 57 per cent of respondents said they would not.
Just 15 per cent of Canadians believe an independent Quebec would have more influence on the international stage, while 60 per cent said it would not.
In Quebec, 25 per cent of respondents believe an independent Quebec would have more global influence, while 56 indicated it would not.
“Those (arguments that Quebec would be better off internationally) aren’t going to be persuasive in the hypothetical event that we arrive at a referendum,” Jedwab said.
The survey involved 1,723 respondents across Canada (with an oversample of 200 Quebecers) over the period Dec.19-21, 2025. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,723 respondents would have a margin of error of +25 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.