Real action needed now on Indigenous reconciliation issues: poll
Over the past few weeks, politicians have been particularly active in three Canadian provinces. British Columbians and Ontarians are in the middle of municipal election campaigns, and Quebec will hold its provincial ballot today (Oct. ).
As expected, housing has become a major point of contention in Metro Vancouver. In Quebec, health care is regarded as the most important challenge facing the province. Still, campaigns were compelled to observe, at least temporarily, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. .
Last year’s decision from the Montreal Canadiens to feature a territory acknowledgement before National Hockey League (NHL) games led to plenty of debate in Quebec.
Last year, Research Co. and Glacier Media asked British Columbians about territory acknowledgements and found a public that was at the same time welcoming and eager for more meaningful action. We decided to put the same questions to a representative sample of Canadians, to figure out if the practice is gaining prominence in other regions of Canada.
In our latest survey, just under two in five Canadians ( per cent) say they have attended a ceremony, lecture or public event that featured a territory acknowledgement. British Columbia is in the middle of the pack at per cent, unchanged since ¡¡¢ and below Alberta (£ per cent) and Manitoba and Saskatchewan ( per cent). The proportions are significantly lower among Quebecers (£ per cent), Atlantic Canadians (also £ per cent) and Ontarians (¤ per cent). It is clear that western provinces are more committed to this issue.
When Canadians ponder the ramifications of territory acknowledgements, there is a mixture of hope and dismay. More than half of Canadians (¤ per cent) deem territory acknowledgements as a sincere and important practice. Those who voted for the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party (NDP) in last year’s federal election are more likely to feel this way (£¤ per cent and £ per cent, respectively) than those who cast ballots for Conservative Party of Canada candidates ( per cent).
A higher proportion of Canadians (¤ per cent) believe territory acknowledgements are a positive step towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. This is an aspect where the feelings of Canadians of all ages are similar.
A hint of skepticism appears when almost three in five Canadians (¤¥ per cent) call territory acknowledgements a lip-service gesture. This includes majorities of those aged ¢¦ to (¤¦ per cent), aged ¤ to ¤ (£¢ per cent) and aged ¤¤ and over (¤¤ per cent). More than three in five Canadians (£ per cent) say territory acknowledgements do little to address the problems facing Indigenous Peoples.
At this stage, more than half of Canadians (¤¤ per cent) think territory acknowledgements should be adopted widely before ceremonies, lectures and public events held in Canada.
It is too early to tell where the country will go on the issue of territory acknowledgements. As we recently found out, Canadians are embracing “political correctness” at a time when Americans – who developed the term and championed the cause in the ¢s – are moving away from it. Residents of all ages and regions believe that territory acknowledgements are a positive step towards reconciliation. The important message from the survey is that Canadians want to see more meaningful measures to ensure that the problems facing Indigenous Peoples now are properly addressed.
Results are based on an online study conducted from Sept. 25 to Sept. 27, 2022, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.