Quebecers with Linguistic Angst Show Less Support for Anglophone Education Rights

Since 2018, Quebec’s English-language school system has invoked section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to challenge Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government efforts to restrict its autonomy over hiring teachers (Bill 21), communicating with the government (Bill 96), and school board governance (Bill 40). As these legal cases progress, a question emerges: Do Quebecers know, support, and value the anglophone minority’s educational rights under section 23? This paper explores this question using data from a public opinion poll of 1,015 respondents. Most Quebecers are unsure whether anglophones even qualify as a minority, are somewhat more confident that they have access to education in English, but remain politically hesitant to support their rights. Quebecers who experience “linguistic angst”—concern that French is threatened, francophones may disappear, and English is not an essential part of Quebec—are significantly less likely to know about, support, or value these rights. This, along with limited awareness, creates fertile ground for policies that further erode the scope of section 23 protections.

Parallel title: QUESCREN Working Paper no. 14