Press Release
Birth of The Federal Idea, a new Québec think tank on federalism
Montreal, June 5, 2009 — The Federal Idea, a new Québec think tank on federalism, launched its activities this morning by bringing fifty people together in Montreal and by unveiling the results of an exclusive opinion survey on the perceptions of Quebecers with regard to federalism. That survey reveals, among other things, that:
- 83% of Quebecers feel that in its relations with the other partners in the federation, Québec must sometimes make compromises for the good of the whole;
- 75% of Quebecers believe that the existence of two levels of government entails inefficiencies and redundancies, while 60% of respondents feel that federalism enables citizens to benefit from competition between the two governments;
- 55% of Quebecers feel that federalism evokes the idea of collaboration, while 40% of respondents think that it evokes confrontation;
- 48% of Quebecers consider that the government of Canada is above all there to serve English Canadians.
“With this first opinion poll, The Federal Idea sought to provide itself with an up-to-date reading of the state of Québec public opinion on various facets of federalism,” stated the The Federal Idea spokesman, Mr. André Pratte.
The unveiling of this survey, available on request, constitutes the first public activity of The Federal Idea, an independent non-partisan group whose members hail from all sectors of activity. The network is open to all Quebecers who adhere to federalism as a principle of government and who share its values and ideals. The primary objective of the group is to foster exchanges among its members and to encourage discussion about the federal ideal and its evolution in Canada and elsewhere in the world. The Federal Idea will support the organization of conferences and lectures, as well as research work on the principles of federalism and on their implementation in different regions of the world.
Membership in The Federal Idea takes place on a voluntary and individual basis and the opinions of members reflect only those members’ views, the feeling of the network being that it is the experience and thinking of each one, as well as the diversity of points of view on federalism, that will enrich the group. Activities will be financed through donations from the group’s members and from its sympathizers.
With the goal of seeing to the start-up of the organization and to the launch of the group’s activities, The Federal Idea formed a Management Committee made up of:
- Luc Beauregard, Executive Chairman of the Board, RES PUBLICA
- Jocelyn Coulon, Director, the Francophone Research Network on Peace Operations affiliated with CÉRIUM, the international studies centre of Université de Montréal;
- Daniel Fournier, Vice-president, SITQ
- Pierre-Gerlier Forest, President, Trudeau Foundation
- André Pratte, Editorial Page Editor, La Presse
- Sébastien Proulx, attorney with Heenan Blaikie, former ADQ Member of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières
- Richard Vigneault, communications consultant, former journalist and advisor to premiers Daniel Johnson and Jean Charest.
André Pratte agreed to serve as spokesman for The Federal Idea.
A Content Committee has also been formed, made up of Jocelyn Coulon, François Crépeau, Éric Montpetit, Jean-François Gaudreault-Desbiens, Jean Leclair, Marie Bernard-Meunier and André Pratte.
Current perceptions of Quebecers on federalism
The survey unveiled this morning was conducted by the CROP company in order to provide discussion material for The Federal Idea members. It was carried out among 1,000 respondents at the end of last April. Among the highlights of that public-opinion survey:
- 67% of Quebecers feel that federalism makes it possible for them to benefit from the advantages of belonging to a greater whole while at the same time preserving their cultural uniqueness;
- 60% of respondents feel that the government of Québec should have more powers in areas like language and culture, education and health care, even though Québec already has virtually all powers in these sectors; CROP notes that since 2003 the percentage of Quebecers who feel that the provincial government should have more powers has slipped from 58% to today’s 52%;
- 54% of Quebecers state they have a lot (16%) or quite a lot (39%) of values in common with their fellow citizens in other provinces, while 43% are of the opposite opinion.
Furthermore, the survey reveals that close to one-third (31%) of Quebecers believe that the amount paid by taxpayers to the federal government is greater than the total of federal expenditures in Québec, whereas 23% of respondents feel that the amount is less and 30% that it is equivalent to what the federal government returns to Québec.
Finally, would Québec more effectively pull out of an economic crisis if it were independent? On this question, representatives are divided, 41% stating that it would cope less effectively if independent, with another 41% of those interviewed responding that it would do equally well.
“This survey is an additional knowledge tool the results of which lead us to believe that Quebecers remain open to the concept of federalism while at the same time expressing reservations about how it functions in the Canadian context and remaining very much attached to Québec,” concluded group spokesman André Pratte. “On certain questions – the fiscal division between the two levels of government, for instance – their perceptions do not seem to conform to the facts. Like it or not, the 40-year-old debate between federalism and independence is far from being over, and federalism as a modern principle of government merits Quebecers gathering together to make its principles, objectives and challenges, here and elsewhere, better known in order to contribute to its evolution in the world of today. This is what The Federal Idea intends doing over the months ahead, in a spirit of respect for all schools of thought existing in Canada.”
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Source: The Federal Idea
Information: Richard Vigneault
(514) 497-1385
