42% of Anglos considered leaving Quebec post PQ win: poll

The election of the minority Parti Québécois government last September has many anglophones questioning their future in Quebec, a new poll commissioned by the CBC suggests.

Forty-two per cent of those surveyed in the EKOS research poll said they have considered leaving the province in the wake of the PQ victory.

In particular, the PQ’s stance on language restrictions has raised eyebrows in the English-speaking community.

On Sunday, a crowd gathered in front of Premier Pauline Marois’ Montreal office to protest Bill 14, which proposes amendments to Quebec’s language laws.

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), an organization that works to defend the rights of anglophones, said it’s not surprised people are crossing the border.

‘There’s an enormous brain drain’—Sylvia Martin-Laforge, QCGN Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the QCGN, said she is not surprised a significant population of English-speakers has considered leaving.
 

For her, the poll results suggest a significant percentage of the English-speaking population is unhappy about their place in Quebec.

“Forty-two per cent is a pretty big number,” she said.

Martin-Laforge said the PQ’s stance on language laws has created concern among anglophones since the election.