Abacus Data: Canadians Want Alberta To Stay
Support is strong across regions and parties, while many Canadians also back some policy changes intended to keep Alberta in Confederation.
🍁Happy Monday morning,
New polling from Abacus Data suggests Canadians outside Alberta are sending two messages at once. They overwhelmingly want Alberta to remain part of Canada, but many are also willing to accommodate at least some of the province’s long-standing grievances if doing so would help keep the federation together.
The survey explores how Canadians outside Alberta view the province’s separatist movement, whether they think it poses a genuine threat to Confederation, what Ottawa could do to keep Alberta in Canada, and whether Albertans' complaints about the federal government are viewed as legitimate.
The first finding is perhaps the least surprising: Canadians overwhelmingly want Alberta to remain in the country. Fully 76% of respondents outside Alberta say they would prefer the province stay in Canada, while only a small minority would rather see it leave.
The results show only minor regional differences overall. Quebec stands out, but only modestly so: 36% of respondents saying they do not have a strong opinion either way on whether Alberta should remain in Canada. Nevertheless, the proportion of Quebec voters who want Alberta to leave matches the national average at a minuscule 4%.
By party affiliation, Liberal supporters are the strongest proponents of Alberta remaining in Confederation, but supporters of the Conservatives and New Democrats also overwhelmingly prefer Alberta to stay. Even among Conservative supporters—the group most likely to say they would prefer Alberta to leave—that sentiment is confined to just 7% of respondents.
Simply stated: there is no “Let’s kick out Alberta” movement whatsoever, from any region or from any supporters of the main federal parties.
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