B.C. residents least interested in separating from Canada, poll finds

The B.C. Legislature is seen on April 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

British Columbians are less interested in seceding from Canada than residents of any other province, according to a new survey.

But the Research Co. poll, released on Canada Day, still found 19 per cent of B.C. residents either "strongly" or "moderately" agree their province would be better off as its own country.

By comparison, 33 per cent of Albertans and 32 per cent of Quebecers surveyed professed some level of support for outright sovereignty.

"Expressed support for separation has diminished in Alberta over the past six months, but remains the highest in Canada," pollster Mario Canseco said in a news release.

"In Quebec, with a provincial election looming, support for sovereignty has risen slightly."

A full 67 per cent of British Columbians said they either "strongly" or "moderately" disagree with the idea of secession. The remaining 15 per cent said they weren't sure.

Nationally, 26 per cent of those polled expressed support for separation and 63 per cent were opposed.

Research Co. also asked respondents their opinion on their province joining the U.S. as a 51st state. Albertans expressed the least support, with just 14 per cent either "strongly" or "moderately" in favour of becoming Americans – a 25 per cent decrease since December.

British Columbians were a close second, with only 15 per cent interested in joining the U.S.

Just over half (51 per cent) of Canadians said their province would be better off with a different premier running the show, and the same proportion thought their prospects would improve with a different prime minister in Ottawa.

Research Co.'s survey was conducted online from June 18 to 20 among 1,000 adults in Canada, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The data was statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region.