Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - October 2007
A new poll has revealed that Quebecers are far more likely than other Canadians to favour assimilation of immigrants. The poll, conducted in early October by Leger Marketing for the Centre of Canadian Studies, found that 56 per cent of Quebec respondents believe that immigrants should be discouraged from forming their own cultural communities within Canada, as well as from holding on to their cultural practices and traditions.
Quebec has been examining its stance on "reasonable accommodation" through the Bouchard-Taylor commission after recent controversies erupted over the issue. Last spring, a girls soccer team was disqualified from a tournament when one of the players refused to remove her hijab, which the official found to be in violation of safety codes.
The survey asked whether Canadians should be more accepting of immigrant cultures and traditions. In other provinces, three-quarters of those questioned said that Canada should be more accepting while in Quebec only 44 per cent agreed. The poll also specifically asked opinions on women's rights versus religion, the wearing of hijabs and niqabs, as well as other religious symbols in our society. In most cases, Quebecers were found to be least tolerant of other customs. This is likely due to Quebec's historic struggle to retain its own distinct culture and tradition, which many feel is under constant threat from the pervasive North American culture surrounding the province.
However, when asked if they feel that their society is being threatened by non-Christian immigration, Quebecers were not, in fact, most likely to feel this way. Residents of Alberta and Ontario were more likely to agree that society is changing "too quickly" due to immigration.
Source:
The Gazette
