The appointment of Amira Elghawaby as Canada’s special representative in charge of the fight against Islamophobia tears not only Quebec MPs, but also Quebec Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) sympathizers: 39% of them disapprove, while than 25% approve of it, reveals a Léger-The duty.
“There is a problem there. Mr. Trudeau cannot even rely on his own constituents. It’s a decision that is controversial,” said Éric Normandeau, consulting strategist at Léger.
Barely 15% of Quebecers — all political allegiances combined — support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s choice to entrust this role to Ms.me Elghawaby, who had previously written, for example, that “the majority of Quebecers seem influenced not by the rule of law, but by anti-Muslim sentiment.” The government of François Legault had demanded his resignation in particular because of these controversial remarks, a proposal swept aside by Ottawa.
On the other hand, 49% of respondents disapprove of the appointment of Amira Elghawaby, which has been in effect since February 20.
Finally, 36% of those surveyed preferred not to take a position, which is surprising considering “the big, big, big media hype around this”, notes Éric Normandeau.
He sees in this high rate of abstention “more a malaise than a misunderstanding” of the case on the part of more than one member of the Léger Web panel (LEO) consulted for the occasion. “That doesn’t mean they haven’t heard of it. That means it can be a complex subject […] They are not able to form an opinion,” he explains.
Bloc Québécois supporters were more likely to express their opinion: 3% of them think that Mr. Trudeau made a “good decision”, and 80% think that he made a “bad decision”. This is “a workhorse that is good for the Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet, and the Bloc deputation,” says Éric Normandeau.
Where is the Poilievre effect?
With respectively 33% and 31% of the voting intentions, the PLC and the Bloc Québécois are neck and neck in Quebec, a portrait comparable to that of the electoral results of September 2021, where 34% and 32% of the votes were for them. assigned. The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; 15%) and the New Democratic Party (13%) are lagging behind.
Pierre Poilievre’s CCP is less popular than Erin O’Toole’s party was in the last election (15% in February 2023, compared to 19% in September 2021). “There is no wave of sympathy for the new Conservative leader,” said Éric Normandeau bluntly.
Divided on health transfers
Nearly half of Quebecers support François Legault’s decision to accept the “final” offer to transfer $46 billion over 10 years to fund health networks made by his counterpart Justin Trudeau. After calling the amount “grossly insufficient,” the premiers bowed down and signed the deal, which came with conditions on how the money would be spent.
Quebec Liberal Party voters are the most likely to support the federal-provincial agreement (72% satisfied) — even though the party’s interim leader, Marc Tanguay, slams it whenever he gets the chance — while those of the Parti Québécois are the most critical (65% say they are dissatisfied). Supporters of François Legault rank second among the groups of voters most unfavorable to this decision by the Prime Minister to accept without much reluctance that Ottawa does not fund 35% of the costs of the health system, as requested. (44% are dissatisfied).
Notwithstanding provision
The Léger firm also probed the hearts of Quebecers on the use of the notwithstanding provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by the federal Parliament or a provincial assembly, such as the National Assembly of Quebec. It shows that 35% of Quebecers think it is a “bad idea that Parliament or a legislature can exempt some of its laws from the application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”. On the other hand, 29% see it as a “good idea”.
Please note, this is a “theoretical debate”, launches Éric Normandeau. According to him, the results would be quite different if people had been polled on the use of the notwithstanding provision to shelter a specific bill such as that on the secularism of the Quebec state (Bill 21). or that on the official and common language of Quebec, French (Bill 96) of legal challenges. “When Bills 21 and 96 come back into the news because cases will be heard in court, we will very likely have different results on the use of the derogation clause. »
Proponents of “judges’ government” or “parliamentary sovereignty” have “a lot of pedagogy to do” to explain the basics of the derogation provision, he believes. Until then, “it risks a debate of experts, because people do not understand what it is about”.
The sounding also reveals that Quebecers are divided on the presence of unidentified objects in North American airspace. Three Chinese balloons that were not allowed to fly over Canada and the United States have been shot down in the past month. The proportion of respondents who say they are worried (44%) is almost equal to that of those who do not care (47%). “People have moved on,” says Éric Normandeau.
Finally, it is “no surprise” that 62% of Quebecers believe that Roxham Road, where nearly 40,000 asylum seekers passed through last year to enter Canada, should be closed.