Francophones split on trust of Parti Qubcois, poll suggests

One in three francophones in Quebec are angry with the Parti Qubcois government, new numbers from a CBC-Ekos poll suggest.

Thirty-three per cent of 1,009 francophones who participated in the survey looking at perceptions of anglophones and francophones agreed with the statement I am angry with the PQ government.

By comparison, 75 per cent of anglophones agreed with the same statement.

Renee Houde was born in Val d'Or, Que. to a francophone family.She says she's not surprised so many francophonessaid they were angry with thePQ. In fact, she's disappointed the numbers aren't higher.

Every 10years, you're always scared and fearful there's going to be another referendum.And it's just such a pain in the neck...can we please look after the economy? saidHoude.

Language and separation

She's now retired, but Houde worked as a flight attendant for Air Canada, and has lived in Torontoand Vancouver. She moved back to Montreal in early 1980s and said she's worried about the priorities of the Parti Qubcois government.

Why is it that all we're talking about is separation and language? Shouldn't we be doing something about better education, and the economy," saidHoude

"It's been 30 years, and it's the same thing, all they talk about is separation and language,

From a very young age Houde says she realized that the English language could be an asset if she ever moved outside Quebec, and asked her parents if she could go to English school.

We begged our dad to go to Toronto to learn English, because we knewthat if you had English you could travel around, you could move, you could do whatever you wanted. And thanks to my parents, I was very fortunate, said Houde.

When it comes to trusting the PQ government, the poll showed Quebec francophones are almost evenly split.

The survey asked participantsif they agreed with the statement I trust the PQ government, and 42 per cent of respondents said they did not.

The vast majority88 per centof anglophones disagreed.

Stay or go?

The CBC-commissioned poll is part of an exclusive two-week series, Stay or Go, that examines what is pushing people to think about leaving Quebec, what is keeping them in the province, and what hopes they have for their future in Quebec.

The poll found that more than half of the anglophone Quebecers surveyed had seriously considered leaving the province in the last year.

One in ten francophone Quebecers also said they had thought about leaving in the same poll.

Yesterday, Quebec Premier PaulineMarois addressed those results, sayingshe is not worried about an exodus from the province.

• Pauline Marois downplays non-francophone exodus

"I have great respect for the Anglo Quebecers. This community is important in my perspective," said Marois."I have always had a great respect of this community and I will continue to as leader of the government."

Marois said she believes theParti Qubcoishas always been respectful to the anglophone population and thatanglophones are just as important as Quebec's other founding communities.

Federal NDP leaderThomas Mulcairsaid Friday that politicians in Ottawa are watching the situation in Quebec closely and there is concern that the PQ could see themselves in majority territory following the looming election.

"There's no question [about] what I think they're going to do if they get their majority and I think that's what you are seeing reflected in a lot of concern right now," he told CBC.

"These are cycles that I'm very much aware of aware of, but I am also very much aware that Mme.Maroisrepresents the last hurrah and the last chance for a whole generation ofsovereignistswho see in her their last chance to grasp the brass ring."

Houdesays if theMarois'PQwin a majority government, she plans tosell her condo in Montreal and move to Toronto, where her son lives.

I know if she wins a majority she'll have a referendum. I can't do that. I've been through one, that's enough, said Houde.

About the survey

A total of2,020 Quebec residents were interviewed by phone betweenFeb.10 and18, 2014,as part of this CBC-commissionedEkosstudy.The margin of error for a sample of 2,020 is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Those surveyed included782 anglophones(with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points95 per centof the time), 1,009 francophones(with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1percentage points95 per cent of the time) and223 allophones(with a margin of error of plus or minus 6.5 percentage points 95 per cent of the time).

Anglophones are respondents who identified their mother tongue as English; francophonesare people who identified their mother tongue as French; and allophonesidentified their mother tongue as "other."

Percentages for total respondents have been weighted to reflect linguistic population make-up of Quebec.