National Identity Across Canada

Following Quebec’s provincial election and ahead of Alberta’s October 19 referendum, questions of provincial identity and attachment to Canada are especially timely. Across Canada, 60% of respondents are very attached to the country, compared with 39% to their province. Quebec stands apart: 45% are very attached to Canada and 47% to Quebec, while 40% identify as provincial-first or provincial-only. Yet 62% of Quebecers also feel very much attached to other Canadians. Alberta presents a different pattern: 61% are very attached to Canada, compared with 38% to Alberta; 22% identify as provincial-first or provincial-only, and 59% feel very much attached to other Canadians. Alberta’s October 19 vote asks whether voters wish to remain a province of Canada or initiate the constitutional process toward a possible, future binding separation referendum; it is not itself a vote on immediate separation. Together, the findings show that provincial identity, Canadian attachment, and solidarity with fellow Canadians do not necessarily move together. They should not be read as a forecast of referendum voting.