N.L. residents split on renaming Discovery Day, poll finds

Newfoundland and Labrador residents split on renaming Discovery Day: poll

One-half of Newfoundland and Labrador residents support renaming Discovery Day to honour the Indigenous people of the province, according to a poll by Corporate Research Associates Inc. (CRA).

Slightly more than four in 10 residents expressed opposition to the renaming.

Across the population, support for renaming Discovery Day was elevated among younger Newfoundland and Labrador residents, CRA said.

The poll concerned the June non-statutory holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador currently named Discovery Day. A total of 48 per cent of Newfoundland and Labrador residents completely or mostly support renaming Discovery Day to honour the Indigenous people of the province, CRA said.

Meanwhile, 44 per cent of residents completely or mostly oppose renaming the holiday to honour the indigenous people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

One in 10 — eight per cent — of Newfoundland and Labrador residents do not know or do not have an opinion on the subject.

CRA said younger residents are more likely than their older counterparts to support renaming Discovery Day.

“While a plurality of residents support the renaming of Discovery Day to honour the Indigenous people of the province, opposition to this (renaming) is nearly equal,” said Don Mills, chairman and CEO of Corporate Research Associates. “This could be considered a ‘no win’ decision for the Newfoundland and Labrador government.”

The results are part of the CRA Atlantic Quarterly, an independent, quarterly telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a telephone sample of 400 adult Newfoundland and Labrador residents, conducted from Aug. 2-20, with overall results accurate to within plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.