Electoral Chair’s Seminar – October 11th

Regionalism(s) Within a Region: Regionalism and Political Attitudes in Quebec

Thomas Gareau-Paquette – McGill and Jean-François Daoust (Université de Sherbrooke)

An important scholarship focuses on regionalism(s) in Canadian politics, but examines differences at the country-wide level, leaving the exploration of regional dynamics within provinces largely unaddressed. In this research, we examine the political geography of public opinion in Quebec, where the focus has predominantly centred around the “mystery of Quebec” – the widely-held claim that Quebec City is more conservative than the rest of the province. More precisely, we provide the most detailed examination of regional variations in citizens’ key political attitudes within Quebec, comparing thirteen distinct regions. Our findings reveal important regional variations in deeply-rooted political attitudes, but contrary to the conventional wisdom, the Quebec region does not systematically stand out as more conservative. We conclude by discussing the implications of these unexpected results, shedding new light on the complexity of regional political dynamics within provinces.

This content has been updated on 18 October 2023 at 14 h 48 min.