Support for Quebec secession rebounds amid tariff war

OTTAWA — A new Postmedia-Leger poll reveals that support for Quebec sovereignty, which had fallen below 30 per cent due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada, is back. Even though Canada is engaged in a tariff war with its closest ally, support for Quebec independence has reached 36 per cent according to new data . “So, it’s interesting to see a little bit of movement there. It seems disconnected from the ballot at this stage of the game. You’ve got some of those who are saying they would support sovereignty, but they’re still parking their vote right now with the Liberals, with a federalist party,” said Andrew Enns, Leger’s executive vice-president. In the province, the Liberals (40 per cent) still have a 15-point lead over the Bloc (25 per cent). “Right now, (Quebecers) think Carney is a better prime minister to (protecting the country from America) than certainly Mr. Poilievre. And certainly, Mr. Blanchet isn’t necessarily the guy (they) need at this particular time,” added Enns. Leger asked 1,001 residents of the province the question about Quebec’s sovereignty. In March, Leger reported that 29 per cent of Quebecers supported Quebec independence. Since then, separatist politicians, such as Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet, have argued that this was only a temporary decline due to the fleeting rise of Canadian patriotism among the Quebec population. Leger also asked the following question in all regions of the country except Quebec: “If a referendum were held in your province to become an independent country, would you vote for or against independence for your province?” An overwhelming majority of the 2,309 respondents (71 per cent) were opposed. However, 29 per cent of Albertans supported Alberta sovereignty, which echoes a recent Angus-Reid poll . National Post atrepanier@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. 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.