New poll reveals widespread opposition to Bill 115

Quebec’s bill limiting access to English schools may have passed, but for many, the anger hasn’t.

An exclusive Ipsos Reid Global News poll shows some of the people opposed to Bill 115 might not be who you’d expect.

When Bill 115 was adopted it created a wide chasm between French and English communities. But according to a new poll the two sides seem to be in agreement more than ever.

Not surprisingly, a large portion of Anglophones are against making students attend fully private English schools for at least three years.

85 per cent of Anglophones polled responded that they do not support Bill 115, with only eight per cent supporting the law.

Meanwhile, 49 per cent of Francophones surveyed said they do not support the bill with 32 per cent supporting it, and 19 per cent responding they were unsure.

Overall, 55 per cent of Quebecers polled do not support Bill 115, with 28 per cent supporting the bill and 17 per cent unsure.

The poll shows that both sides agree that Bill 115 is not the solution for Quebec’s education system.

While some say that the solution lies in pushing all students to be more bilingual, others feel the law should be abolished altogether allowing students to choose whatever school they would like to attend.

The government argues that it was trying to give parents more freedom to choose their child’s education when they adopted Bill 115.

However some argue that the bill is doing the opposite by complicating criteria for school eligibility.

Access to English schools for francophone students can be difficult and expensive, costing $18,000 per year.

In most cases, students will have to spend at least three years in a private school before they can access an English public school.

Non-anglo students must accumulate 15 “points” through various mechanisms.

In addition, under the new grid system, students who have siblings in French schools will lose points, and francophone families feel that is discriminatory.

Francophone rights groups worry that Bill 115 will widen the gap by allowing only the wealthiest families to buy their way into the English school system.