Are English speakers a founding people of Quebec? Most French speakers disagree, survey finds

Are English speakers a founding nation of Quebec? A new survey shows that your mother tongue and knowledge of Quebec history affects your view of who helped found the province

MONTREAL -- While a majority of English speakers in Quebec believe that English-speaking Quebecers are a founding people of the province, most French speakers disagree, a recent survey finds.

The survey, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association of Canadian Studies, finds that 63 per cent of Quebecers - 90 per cent of English speakers, 55 per cent of French speakers, and 89 per cent of Quebecers whose first language is neither French nor English - agree with the statement "English-speaking Quebecers have made an important contribution to Quebec history."

However, French speakers and non French-speakers are more polarized on the question of the founding role of English speakers in Quebec.

The survey finds that 45 per cent of Quebecers agree with the statement "English-speaking Quebecers are a founding people of Quebec."

When that result is broken down by first language, only 37 per cent of French speakers agree with the statement, in contrast with 77 per cent of English speakers and 69 per cent of Quebecers whose first language is neither English nor French.

The survey also finds that people who believe they have a good knowledge of Quebec history are slightly more likely than those who report that they do not have a good knowledge of the province's history to credit English speakers with being a founding people of Quebec.

The poll was conducted by web panel between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4. The sample was 1,937 Quebecers: 1,019 English-speaking, 773 French-speaking and 144 whose first language is neither English nor French. The survey has a margin of error of 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.