Pride in being Canadian, like most things these days, appears to be divided along partisan lines, suggests a new survey.
While a large majority of the 1,512 respondents surveyed by Leger said they were proud to be Canadians (81%), the survey suggests that the sentiment is less common among conservative supporters compared to liberals.
Experts say that while the survey results may be surprising given conservatives' reputation as a patriotic party, they reflect their dissatisfaction with the direction Canada is heading.
The survey found that 97% of those who listed their voting intentions as liberals said they were very or somewhat proud to be Canadians, as did 87% of respondents leaning towards the NDP. That number dropped among conservative voters, with only 76% responding affirmatively.
An even smaller portion of the 30 respondents who said they voted for the People's Party of Canada (PPC) said they were proud to be Canadians - only 45%.
"Conservatism is often associated with patriotism, right?" said Daniel Béland, Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. "In this case, you don't have that because there is discontent with the federal government, with federal policies, and perhaps also with the direction the country is heading."
Among all respondents, 6% said they were not at all proud to be Canadian. But among conservative respondents, the portion was 8%.
12% of Bloc Quebecois separatist voters and 27% of PPC voters said they were not at all proud to be Canadian.
"Some people, when they think of 'Are you proud to be Canadian,' they think of 'Are you proud to be under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, are you proud to be under Liberal leadership?'" Béland said.
He added that the reasons listed for their pride, or lack thereof, offer a more nuanced insight into what is happening.
Conservative voters were more likely to list Canada's natural beauty and landscape as a reason for their national pride, with 47% of them saying so. And 35% of them said universal healthcare contributed to their pride.
Among liberal respondents, 55% said they were proud because of universal healthcare, as did 53% of New Democrats.