The Provincial Diversity Project
Research Team
Antoine Bilodeau (Concordia University), Principal investigator
Luc Turgeon (University of Ottawa)
Stephen E. White (Carleton University)
Ailsa Henderson (University of Edinburgh)
The Provincial Diversity Project is a survey aimed at comparing public opinion realities across provinces on identity and attachment, views about federalism, attitudes toward ethnic diversity and immigration, as well as views on social, economic and political issues.
The Provincial Diversity Project survey was conducted in the winter of 2014 among close to 10,000 Canadians through an internet survey.
The Provincial Diversity Project survey includes three components.
A sample of 6400 Canadians stratified by province: 1000 respondents in each of Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia; 500 Canadians in each of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Saskatchewan; and 400 Canadians in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
An oversample of visible minority Canadians stratified by province with about 400 respondents in each of Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
An oversample of young Canadians (aged 18 to 34) stratified by region: 350 respondents in each of the following regions: the Atlantic, Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia, and 500 respondents in Quebec.
Financial Support
The Provincial Diversity Project was realized thanks to the financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Concordia University, the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes du Québec (Programme d’appui à la recherche), the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society, the Institute for Research on Public Policy, and the Chaire de recherche du Canada en études québécoises et canadiennes de l’UQAM.
To cite the Provincial Diversity Project:
Bilodeau, Antoine, L. Turgeon, S. White and A. Henderson. 2014. Provincial Diversity Project / Projet sur la diversité provinciale.
For more information about the Provincial Diversity Project, please contact: antoine.bilodeau@concordia.ca
Le Projet sur la diversité provinciale
Équipe de recherche
Antoine Bilodeau (Université Concordia), Chercheur principal
Luc Turgeon (Université d’Ottawa)
Stephen E. White (Carleton University)
Ailsa Henderson (University of Edinburgh)
Le Projet sur la diversité provinciale est une enquête visant à comparer les réalités de l'opinion publique dans les provinces sur l'identité et l'attachement, les opinions sur le fédéralisme, les attitudes envers la diversité ethnoculturelle et l'immigration, ainsi que les opinions sur les questions sociales, économiques et politiques.
L'enquête a été menée à l'hiver 2014 auprès de près de 10 000 Canadiens par le biais d'un sondage Internet.
Le sondage comprend trois volets.
Un échantillon de 6 400 Canadiens stratifié par province : 1 000 répondants dans chacune des provinces du Québec, de l'Ontario, de l'Alberta et de la Colombie-Britannique ; 500 Canadiens dans chacune des provinces de la Nouvelle-Écosse, du Nouveau-Brunswick, du Manitoba et de la Saskatchewan ; et 400 Canadiens dans l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard et à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador.
Un échantillon spécial de Canadiens appartenant à une minorité visible, stratifié par province, avec environ 400 répondants dans chacune des provinces suivantes : Québec, Ontario, Alberta et Colombie-Britannique.
Un échantillon spécial de jeunes Canadiens (âgés de 18 à 34 ans) stratifié par région : 350 répondants dans chacune des régions suivantes : l'Atlantique, l'Ontario, les Prairies et la Colombie-Britannique, et 500 répondants au Québec.
Soutien financier
Le Projet sur la diversité provinciale a été réalisé grâce au soutien financier du Conseil de recherche du Canada en science sociales et humaines, de l'Université Concordia, du Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (Programme d’appui à la recherche), du Réseau canadien de recherche sur le terrorisme, la sécurité et la société, de l'Institut de recherche en politiques publiques et de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en études québécoises et canadiennes de l'UQAM.
Pour citer le Projet sur la diversité provinciale :
Bilodeau, Antoine, L. Turgeon, S. White and A. Henderson. 2014. Provincial Diversity Project / Projet sur la diversité provinciale.
Pour plus d’information à propos du Projet sur la diversité provinciale, svp contactez : antoine.bilodeau@concordia.ca
Data and Documentation
Données et documentation
Bilodeau, A., L. Turgeon, S. White, and A. Henderson. 2015. Seeing the Same Canada? Visible Minorities’ Views of the Federation. IRPP Study No.56. Released on November 18th.
Summary
Canada’s history has been marked by competing visions of the country and regional grievances about how the federation works. Multiple and frequently conflicting identities and interests have sustained these historical tensions. This study explores how the growing visible minority population views important dimensions of the Canadian federation.
Antoine Bilodeau and his co-authors address the question of whether people from visible minority backgrounds in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia see the same Canada as the majority population. Social exclusion and discrimination are more commonly experienced by members of visible minority groups than by the majority population. In the face of these challenges, the authors focus in particular on how this growing segment of the Canadian population relates to the longstanding regional grievances and demands for constitutional reform that still structure many contemporary Canadian political debates.
The authors show that, compared with the majority population, members of visible minority groups as a whole have a stronger sense of loyalty to the federal government than to provincial governments, express greater support for Canada’s national policies, and are less inclined to endorse historical grievances about the Canadian federation. As for competing national and provincial visions of Canada, members of visible minority groups embrace a national vision more strongly than the majority population.
However, the extent to which members of visible minority groups hold distinctive views about the Canadian federation depends on the province they live in and whether or not they were born in Canada. In Ontario, visible minorities’ views are almost indistinguishable from those of the majority population. In Alberta and in British Columbia, visible minorities born abroad hold somewhat weaker regional grievances than the majority population. However, those born in Canada see the federation in similar terms as the majority population.
The greatest difference between visible minorities and the majority population is in Quebec, where visible minorities born abroad and those born in Canada express considerably stronger support for a national vision. The differences in outlook on the federation between non-French speaking members of visible minority groups and the rest of the Quebec population are particularly striking. The findings suggest that the federal government’s multiculturalism policy offers a model that appeals to members of visible minority groups. Its highest level of support is among visible minorities in Quebec, whose government has never supported multiculturalism policy and has yet to offer a formal and official alternative.