Poll finds many Quebecers say Canada can deal with Trump better than sovereign Quebec

President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd as he departs an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 14, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Nearly half of Quebecers say an independent Quebec would have much less influence than a united Canada in dealing with the threat from the United States, according to a new poll.

Conducted by Léger for the Association of Canadian Studies, the panel survey also found that almost half of respondents said the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump are a threat to the French language in Quebec.

“The idea that we sometimes hear from Quebec thought leadership that Quebec would be more influential on its own … doesn’t seem to be a strong selling point,” said Jack Jedwab, the association’s president.

“When Donald Trump talks about the 51st state, he doesn’t seem to acknowledge that there’s a Quebec nation.”

Léger surveyed 433 respondents in Quebec on April 5 and 6.

A margin of error cannot be assigned to panel surveys.

Results from the poll, released Tuesday, show that 48 per cent of respondents agreed that an independent Quebec would carry less weight than Canada in dealing with the Trump administration.

That includes nearly 40 per cent of voters for the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois, and majorities of Liberal, Conservative and NDP voters.

The findings support recent poll results that show the Liberals surging in Quebec at the expense of the Bloc Québécois, who could be at risk of winning fewer than the 12 seats they need to maintain official party status after the April 28 election.

Interest in Quebec sovereignty has also waned since Trump began threatening tariffs and annexation.

A Léger survey in February showed support for independence had dropped to 29 per cent, around the lowest level the polling firm had ever measured.

Jedwab said the results present a challenge to the Bloc’s sovereigntist message, if even the party’s own voters believe “we need to act together” to take on Trump’s threats.

About 32 per cent of respondents did not agree that an independent Quebec would have less influence than a united Canada, and the rest said they didn’t know.

The poll also found that 46 per cent of those surveyed believe the French language in Quebec is threatened by Trump’s policies, including nearly 70 per cent of Bloc voters.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration listed Quebec’s controversial language law, Bill 96, as a trade irritant.

The U.S. is raising concerns about changes to trademark rules on product labels that will require generic terms to be translated into French.

Trump has also signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the U.S.

“(These are) strong reminders that in some ways the rest of Canada provides sort of a buffer for the protection of French,” Jedwab said.

Language rights are likely to come up in the French-language leaders’ debate, which will take place on Wednesday.

Early in the campaign, Liberal Leader Mark Carney said he would intervene in a Supreme Court of Canada challenge of Bill 96, though he later clarified he objects only to the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause, and he supports the need to protect the French language.

The notwithstanding clause — Section 33 of the Charter — blocks challenges to legislation on the grounds it violates certain fundamental freedoms.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh have said they would not intervene in a challenge of Bill 96.

The new survey found that just 25 per cent of Quebecers believe the Quebec government should ignore a Supreme Court opinion on the language law, including 47 per cent of Bloc voters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2025.