Two-thirds of Quebecers (65%) express overall support for a Charter of Quebec Values, with the largest group (35%) offering strong support.

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1 Page 1 of 13 ers, Canadians split on proposed Charter of Values Two-thirds ers support a proposed ban on religion clothing symbols at work, more than half of the rest of Canadians oppose it [Toronto September 12, 2013] The government s proposed Charter of Values which includes measures such as prohibiting public employees from wearing religious clothing and symbols at work has considerable support in, but meets with solid disapproval in the rest of Canada. While ers recognize relations with visible minorities will suffer because of this initiative, most public support for the Charter in appears to be driven by anxiety about multiculturalism, concern that culture needs protection and a belief that this initiative will bring a renewed sense of identity to society. These are the results emerging from a comprehensive national survey of public opinion conducted September 6 th through 10 th 2013, the day the government released details of the Charter. In the first of three releases, this summary covers issues associated with the Charter in general and the religious symbols prohibition specifically. Future summaries will cover the Angus Reid Global survey s examination of related issues such as reasonable accommodation and aspects of cultural intolerance in and across the country. KEY FINDINGS Two-thirds of ers (65%) express overall support for a Charter of Values, with the largest group (35%) offering strong support. Canadians, meanwhile, are opposed to a Charter of Values by a margin exceeding two-to-one (44% to 20% support), with a full third outside unsure what they think about this proposal. Full topline results are at the end of this release. From September 6 th to 10 th, 2013, Angus Reid Global conducted an online survey among 2,025 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. 1,011 were surveyed within and 1,014 across the rest of Canada. Both samples were weighted by demographic characteristics and voting behaviour, and overall regional weights were applied to adjust for the intentional over-sampling within. The margin of error which measures sampling variability is +/- 3%.

2 Page 2 of 13 OVERALL SUPPORT FOR THE CHARTER OF QUEBEC VALUES Two-thirds of ers (65%) express overall support for a Charter of Values, with the largest group (35%) offering strong support. Support is particularly robust among the following quarters within : outside Montreal, those over 35, years of age, and PQ and CAQ supporters. Canadians, meanwhile, are opposed to a Charter of Values by a margin exceeding two-toone (44% to 20% support), with a full third outside unsure what they think about this proposal TWO SOLITUDES The national public opinion climate portrays two solitudes on many of the issues surrounding the debate over the Charter of Values, most notably regarding many of the specific elements of the Marois government s desire to secularize the public service. While the divergence of views is striking, there is also evidence of some common ground between and the rest of Canada. RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WORKPLACE Asked for their views on a law in that prohibits people who are public employees from wearing religious clothing or symbols while at work, two-thirds (68%) of ers express general support for such a broad prohibition (fully 46% indicate strong support). Canadians living outside oppose the proposal by a margin of 53% to 37% (33%, the plurality, strongly oppose). Within, support is stronger outside the Montreal area, though not by a large margin (73% versus 63% in the Metro area). Support is more tepid among young ers: just over half voiced support, one-third strongly; whereas amongst ers over the age of 35, support is about 75%, with half voicing strong support. University-educated ers are also less enthusiastic about the plan, though a majority still indicated support. The support base of the ruling Parti ois is well on-side: 85% of PQ supporters surveyed said they are in favour of the prohibition, 62% strongly. Supporters of the Coalition Avenir also voiced strong support (80%). Among Liberals, views were closer to split (52% support versus 43% oppose). In the rest of Canada, Albertans seem less cold to the proposed law, with 44% of Alberta respondents supporting it, versus 49% opposing. In Ontario, 50% oppose and 40% support the proposed legislation. In other English-speaking regions, opposition is in the 60% range. As in, younger people in the rest of Canada are more opposed to the proposal, as are the university-educated. Interestingly, looking by federal party preference, Conservative supporters are quite split on the proposed law (47% support versus 47% oppose) whereas most Liberals and NDP supporters in the rest of Canada are opposed. SPECIFIC SYMBOLS The survey took a closer look at views on prohibiting specific types of religious symbols/clothing in the public sector workplace. In this case, survey respondents were asked to think about your own province

3 Page 3 of 13 so those in the rest of Canada are reflecting on their own milieu. There is a wide divergence of opinion between and the rest of Canada on the acceptability of public employees wearing religionidentifying clothing or symbols at work. Both ers and other Canadians are united in opposition to the following being worn at work by public employees: The burka : 90% of ers and 62% in the rest of the country; The kirpan: 84% in, 68% in the rest of Canada For four of the other religious symbols examined, most ers support a prohibition in the public sector workplace while most other Canadians would oppose such a measure. These include: The turban: 63% of ers are opposed to public employees wearing a turban at work. 66% of other Canadians are supportive. The hijab: 63% of ers are opposed to public employees wearing a hijab at work. 65% of other Canadians are supportive. The kippa: 55% are opposed to kippas in the workplace in. Across the rest of the country, 76% support a public employee s right to wear one. A nun s habit: Interestingly, given s Catholic heritage, a full majority (59%) of ers also expressed opposition to the wearing of a nun s habit by public employees at work. Threequarters (74%) of their counterparts in the rest of Canada did not object to this. There is more acceptance for the wearing of the remaining two symbols examined: The Star of David: ers are evenly split on this (47% oppose versus 48% support) while most in the rest of Canada are supportive (78%). The crucifix: Most ers (63%) also indicated support for allowing this symbol in the public sector workplace as did the vast majority (83%) of Canadians in other regions. RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS IN PUBLIC PLACES Significantly, ers voiced stronger support for banning religious symbols and dress in public places four years ago than they do today. Angus Reid Global tracked a question put to a sample in October Focusing more on place than type of religious symbol, respondents were asked whether symbols of religious belief (such as turbans and hijabs, and also crucifixes or the star of David) should be allowed in four different public places, specifically: School Work Public Spaces Hospitals.

4 Page 4 of 13 A full majority of ers surveyed for this current poll indicated opposition to the wearing of religious clothing or symbols in schools (66%), work (60%), and hospitals (60%); and were evenly split in the case of religious symbols being worn in public spaces. However, the 2009 survey found higher opposition, in the three-quarters range for the three specific locations. This downward shift is significant. For all four, a full majority of Canadians from outside indicated these religious symbols should be allowed in these public venues with roughly one-third disagreeing. PAYING THE PRICE ers recognize there is a political cost associated with proceeding with the Charter of Values. When asked what kind of impact they think this initiative will have on s image in various places, ers: anticipate a negative impact in the Middle East (58% negative, 9% positive) and Asia (16% negative, 25% positive); are essentially divided on the impact it is likely to have elsewhere in Canada (33% positive, 35% negative) and in Latin America; anticipate a net positive impact on s image in Europe (41% positive, 15% negative) and the United States (32% positive, 16% negative), with a plurality opting for a neutral impact in both these cases. There is also a lot of concern about the impact closer to home on minority relations within the province. ers were equally likely to agree as disagree (49% agree, 51% disagree) with the statement: Instituting a secular Charter of Values will irreparably damage relationships with religious minorities in. Canadians are even more convinced this will be the case (74% agree). PROTECTING QUEBEC S IDENTITY ers profess some important cultural anxieties and aspirations that drive their support for the Charter of Values initiative. The poll included a number of attitudinal statements to further probe the mindsets behind the views on this issue. Consider the following: Creating a Charter of Values will bring harmony and a renewed sense of identity to society. ers voice solid agreement (63%) with a key argument in support of the Charter, that it will usher in a new era of renewed identity. Canadians don t see this (76% disagree with the statement). culture needs protection.

5 Page 5 of 13 There is very strong support for this cultural protection argument among ers (86%). Canadians tend to disagree (60% disagree with the statement, though 40% agree). Minorities need to do more to fit in with the mainstream in my province. ers are almost unanimous in agreement (86%) and this is very much shared ground with their counterparts in other parts of Canada (71% of non-ers also agreed with this statement). OVERALL SUPPORT FOR THE CHARTER OF QUEBEC VALUES Two-thirds of ers (65%) express overall support for a Charter of Values, with the largest group (35%) offering strong support. Support is particularly robust among the following quarters within : outside Montreal, those over 35, years of age, and PQ and CAQ supporters. Canadians, meanwhile, are opposed to a Charter of Values by a margin exceeding two-toone (44% to 20% support), with a full third outside unsure what they think about this proposal. Angus Reid Global is a public affairs practice headed by Dr. Angus Reid: an industry visionary who has spent more than four decades asking questions to figure out what people feel, how they think and who they will vote for. A team of talented and experienced practitioners with a unique and profound understanding of global issues conduct high quality research throughout the world on a daily basis for corporations, governments, academic researchers, and non-profit organizations. Learn about our electoral record / Consult our surveys / Follow us on Twitter About Vision Critical Vision Critical is a global research and technology firm that creates software and services solutions for over 600 clients, including one third of the world s top 100 brands. The company has offices across North America, Europe and Australia as well as a Global Partner Program that provides other research companies and consultants with access to top-of-the-line technology. Its Sparq product is the most widely adopted community panel platform on the planet. Media contacts: Andrew Grenville, Chief Research Officer: /andrew.grenville@visioncritical.com Shachi Kurl, Vice President, Communications: /Shachi.Kurl@visioncritical.com Jaideep Mukerji, Senior Vice President (Francais) : /jaideep.mukerji@visioncritical.com

6 Page 6 of 13 : Would you support or oppose a law in that prohibits people who are public employees from wearing religious clothing or symbols while at work? Total Area Language Spoken At Home Age Education Montreal PQ French <=HS Support 69% 63% 73% 75% 31% 56% 72% 76% 72% 72% 58% Oppose 26% 31% 22% 21% 58% 33% 24% 22% 22% 24% 37% Don't know 5% 6% 5% 4% 11% 11% 4% 2% 6% 4% 5% Rest of Canada: Would you support or oppose a law in that prohibits people who are public employees from wearing religious clothing or symbols while at work? Total Region Age Education ROC BC AB SK/MN ON Atlantic <=HS Support 37% 31% 44% 27% 40% 30% 24% 42% 43% 37% 41% 32% Oppose 53% 56% 49% 65% 50% 63% 61% 50% 50% 51% 49% 64% Don't know 10% 14% 7% 8% 10% 7% 15% 8% 7% 12% 10% 4%

7 Page 7 of 13 Level of support or opposition to public employees in your own province visibly wearing the following types of religious symbols or clothing while at work: Rest of Canada Support Oppose Support Oppose Turban 34% 63% 66% 31% Hijab 34% 63% 65% 31% Nun's habit 38% 59% 74% 21% Burka 7% 90% 34% 62% Kippa 42% 55% 76% 20% Kirpan 13% 84% 28% 68% Star of David 47% 48% 78% 19% Crucifix 63% 34% 83% 14% Do you think that these symbols of religious belief should be allowed in the following places? Rest of Canada 2013 Yes No Yes No Yes No School 19% 76% 24% 66% 56% 32% Work 19% 74% 29% 60% 52% 34% Public spaces 35% 59% 43% 47% 70% 19% Hospitals 25% 70% 29% 60% 58% 29%

8 Page 8 of 13 : If is to institute a Charter of Values, what impact do you think it would have on s image in the following places: Very positive Somewhat positive Neutral Somewhat Negative Very Negative Within Canada 12% 21% 31% 26% 10% The United States 10% 21% 53% 11% 5% Europe 14% 27% 44% 10% 5% The Middle East 3% 6% 33% 36% 22% Asia 5% 11% 59% 17% 8% Latin America 7% 15% 58% 14% 6% Rest of Canada: If is to institute a Charter of Values, what impact do you think it would have on s image in the following places: Very positive Somewhat positive Neutral Somewhat Negative Very Negative Within Canada 3% 12% 30% 35% 10% The United States 3% 19% 45% 22% 12% Europe 3% 12% 44% 27% 14% The Middle East 1% 4% 24% 25% 45% Asia 1% 4% 42% 34% 18% Latin America 1% 6% 50% 29% 14%

9 Page 9 of 13 : Instituting a secular Charter of Values will irreparably damage relationships with religious minorities in Total Area Language Spoken At Home Age Education Montreal PQ French <=HS / Post Agree strongly 17% 20% 14% 12% 48% 19% 16% 15% 17% 14% 20% Agree 32% 31% 33% 33% 29% 36% 31% 31% 30% 36% 32% 35% 36% 34% 37% 20% 35% 37% 33% 34% 36% 34% strongly 16% 13% 18% 18% 3% 10% 16% 20% 19% 15% 13% Rest of Canada: Instituting a secular Charter of Values will irreparably damage relationships with religious minorities in Total Region Age Education ROC BC AB SK/M N ON Atlantic <=HS / Post Agree strongly 30% 34% 30% 29% 28% 36% 33% 25% 34% 29% 28% 35% Agree 44% 37% 47% 51% 45% 42% 45% 47% 40% 47% 45% 37% 22% 25% 19% 19% 23% 22% 17% 24% 24% 22% 22% 23% strongly 4% 4% 4% 1% 5% 1% 5% 4% 2% 3% 4% 5%

10 Page 10 of 13 : Creating a Charter of Values will bring harmony and a renewed sense of identity to society. Total Area Language Spoken At Home Age Education Montreal PQ French <=HS Agree strongly 25% 24% 27% 29% 5% 21% 25% 30% 31% 25% 15% Agree 38% 36% 39% 41% 16% 38% 38% 37% 39% 38% 34% 19% 19% 19% 18% 26% 23% 21% 13% 15% 22% 23% strongly 18% 21% 16% 12% 54% 19% 16% 20% 15% 16% 27% Rest of Canada: Creating a Charter of Values will bring harmony and a renewed sense of identity to society. Total Region Age Education ROC BC AB SK/MN ON Atlantic <=HS Agree strongly 3% 2% 4% 4% 1% 4% 4% 2% 3% 4% 2% Agree 21% 18% 25% 6% 24% 15% 19% 24% 19% 23% 20% 16% 42% 42% 36% 52% 41% 48% 48% 43% 36% 42% 43% 42% strongly 34% 38% 35% 42% 30% 37% 30% 29% 43% 31% 33% 39%

11 Page 11 of 13 : culture needs protection Total Area Language Spoken At Home Age Education Montreal PQ French <=HS / Post Agree strongly 64% 60% 67% 72% 13% 53% 64% 73% 73% 60% 51% Agree 22% 21% 23% 21% 25% 28% 23% 16% 13% 28% 30% 8% 10% 6% 4% 28% 11% 7% 5% 8% 5% 12% strongly 6% 10% 3% 2% 34% 9% 5% 6% 6% 7% 7% Rest of Canada: culture needs protection Total Region Age Education ROC BC AB SK/MN ON Atlantic <=HS Agree strongly 8% 4% 9% 5% 10% 3% 9% 8% 7% 8% 7% 9% Agree 32% 31% 28% 30% 34% 27% 38% 33% 25% 29% 34% 33% 40% 40% 41% 40% 39% 46% 44% 35% 43% 42% 39% 37% strongly 20% 25% 22% 25% 17% 23% 10% 24% 26% 21% 20% 20%

12 Page 12 of 13 : Minorities need to do more to fit in with the mainstream in my province Total Area Language Spoken At Home Age Education Montreal PQ French <=HS Univ + Agree strongly 51% 45% 55% 55% 25% 38% 53% 59% 54% 51% 43% Agree 35% 39% 32% 34% 44% 38% 35% 33% 33% 37% 39% 10% 12% 9% 9% 21% 19% 9% 5% 9% 10% 14% strongly 4% 4% 4% 3% 10% 5% 3% 3% 4% 2% 5% Rest of Canada: Minorities need to do more to fit in with the mainstream in my province Total Region Age Education ROC BC AB SK/MN ON Atlantic <=HS Agree strongly 35% 32% 42% 27% 38% 24% 14% 38% 50% 38% 39% 25% Agree 36% 40% 31% 55% 33% 35% 34% 35% 41% 35% 37% 38% 20% 19% 17% 15% 21% 26% 32% 20% 8% 17% 18% 28% strongly 9% 9% 9% 3% 8% 14% 20% 7% 1% 11% 6% 9%

13 Page 13 of 13 : Overall, based on whatever you have heard or read about it, do you support or oppose a Charter of Values? Total Area Language Spoken At Home Age Education Montreal PQ Frenc h <=HS / Post Strongly Support 35% 32% 37% 40% 4% 23% 38% 40% 40% 37% 22% Moderately support 30% 27% 31% 32% 13% 30% 30% 28% 27% 31% 33% Moderately oppose 11% 12% 10% 10% 16% 13% 9% 12% 10% 10% 16% Strongly oppose 13% 16% 11% 8% 44% 13% 13% 14% 11% 13% 19% Don't know 11% 13% 10% 10% 22% 20% 9% 7% 13% 10% 11% Rest of Canada: Overall, based on whatever you have heard or read about it, do you support or oppose a Charter of Values? Total Region Age Education ROC BC AB SK/MN ON Atlantic <=HS Strongly Support 4% 3% 5% 0% 5% 3% 3% 6% 2% 3% 4% 4% Moderately support 16% 13% 20% 7% 17% 13% 11% 17% 19% 16% 16% 15% Moderately oppose 19% 13% 20% 36% 16% 31% 19% 15% 26% 18% 19% 21% Strongly oppose 25% 31% 17% 33% 25% 22% 19% 26% 30% 23% 23% 33% Don't know 36% 41% 39% 24% 37% 31% 49% 37% 23% 40% 37% 27%