Deep divisions over continued challenges from residential schools, special status for Indigenous Peoples
October 5, 2023 – Canada was officially proclaimed a dominion by the British in 1867, but this land’s history extends thousands of years prior. For most in this country, the legacy of first contact between Indigenous Peoples and early settlers continues to be real problem for modern society to solve, but approach to and resolution of this issue remain a source of strife.
Take the Cultural Mindset Quiz Here
The non-profit Angus Reid Institute explores Canadians’ views on the legacy of colonialism, the harm of residential schools and the status of Indigenous Peoples in Canada in the fourth part in the Canada and the Culture Wars series. These data find a majority of residents recognize colonialism has left unresolved discord in the relationship between Canada and First Nations. One-in-five (19%) say this legacy is a huge problem to be dealt with, while one-in-three (35%) say that this is a problem among many others. A significant minority see less of an issue (40%). Indigenous respondents are more likely to say this is a problem (61%), but are far from unanimous, with one-in-three (34%) disagreeing.
In the week following the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, many Canadians are likely more aware of these discussions. Overall, 55 per cent of Canadians say Indigenous Peoples should have an inherently unique status due to their presence in these lands before colonizers. This group is led by young women (74%), those with a university education (65%) and those who voted for the Liberals (64%) and New Democrats (75%) in the previous federal election. On the other side of this, 45 per cent say that Indigenous Peoples should have no special status. This group is more likely to be comprised of older men (59%) and 2021 Conservative voters (68%).
Notably, those who identify as Indigenous are more likely than the general population to feel that special status is warranted, with 62 per cent saying so.
Other contentious issues divide Canadians along Angus Reid Institute’s Culture Mindsets spectrum (take the Canadian Culture Mindsets Quiz here to see where you fit). Whether it’s removing names of those who helped to build the residential schools from public buildings or giving more attention and resources to addressing the legacy of the schools, Canadians are widely divided, with Zealous Activists in support of action and assistance, Defiant Objectors largely in opposition.
More Key Findings:
- Whether the impacts of residential schools have been adequately addressed is a source of contention. Slightly more than half (55%) say that the legacy lives on and will require attention and resources into the future to overcome, while 45 per cent say they feel enough has been done and the focus should be on other priorities in Indigenous communities.
- Canadians are optimistic that Indigenous communities in their province are in better situations than a decade ago, with half saying they view the situation as improving, while one-quarter (27%) say things are largely the same. Those most optimistic are found in B.C. and Atlantic Canada, while those most pessimistic are in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- Half (50%) of respondents who identify as Indigenous believe their circumstances have improved in the past decade. However, one-third (32%) see no improvement, while one-in-eight (12%) feel things are trending in the wrong direction.
- Asked what they feel led to the higher death rate among Indigenous children in residential schools, many are uncertain (29%) but the largest group feels that neglect was the primary cause (39%). Smaller groups feel that children were purposefully killed (19%) or died because of uncontrollable factors (13%).
- On schools and streets named after the historical figures associated with residential schools, similar numbers of Caucasians say none of them should be renamed (42%) as say some should, depending on the circumstances (44%). They are half as likely (14%) as Indigenous respondents (27%) to believe all of them should have new names.
About ARI
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world.
INDEX
Part One: The legacy of colonialism in Canada
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Perspectives vary widely by generation, cultural mindset
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Optimism about improvements in lives of Indigenous Peoples living in Canada
Part Two: Contentious questions
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Division over whether Indigenous Peoples should have unique status
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Two-in-five believe harm from residential schools largely resolved; half disagree
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Caucasians equally likely to believe harm continues as it has been addressed
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Change the names?
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On the deaths at residential schools
Part One: The legacy of colonialism in Canada
Canadian society has been reckoning with the legacy of colonialism in Canada for much of the 21st century. In 2008, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was founded as part of the agreement reached between the government of Canada and the 86,000 Indigenous Peoples in the country who were at some time enrolled in the residential school system. The commission explored the tragic legacy of the residential schools, but also brought attention to the legacy of other colonial systems in the country.
For many, the ripple effects of colonialism are still being felt, or at the very least, more subtly embodied by people in the country. Still others feel that if there is, indeed, a legacy of colonialism in Canada, there are as many things to celebrate from it as there are to repudiate. For many Canadians, awareness of Indigenous issues is simply non-existent.
More than half of Canadians (54%) feel the legacy of colonialism is a problem for the country today, including one-in-five (19%) who describe it as a huge problem. Two-in-five (40%) disagree:
Perspectives vary widely by generation, cultural mindset
Women and younger Canadians are much more likely to believe the ramifications of colonialism are a modern problem. Meanwhile, half of men older than 34 believe the legacy of colonialism is not an issue today:
A majority (60%) of respondents who identify as Indigenous believe colonialism is a problem in Canada today, including more than one-quarter (27%) who say it is a huge problem. Half (51%) of Caucasian agree the legacy of colonialism continues to be a problem, but they are more likely to disagree (43%) than Indigenous respondents (34%):
Canadians at opposite ends of the Canadian Culture Mindsets are also in opposition on the implications of colonialism for modern Canada. Nearly all (94%) Zealous Activists believe the legacy of colonialism is a problem today, while 84 per cent of Defiant Objectors disagree. The Conflicted Middle lean towards believing the lasting effects of colonialism are still an issue, but only one-in-eight (13%) say it is a huge problem:
Optimism about improvements in lives of Indigenous Peoples living in Canada
At the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Chair Justice Murray Sinclair said he was “hopeful that we are at a threshold of a new era in this country.”
“A period of change is beginning,” Sinclair continued, “that if sustained by the will of the people, will forever realign the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
However, he cautioned that change would likely not be instantaneous, “It will take years, perhaps generations.”
It has been more than eight years since the release of that report, and 15 years since the founding of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In that time span, half (49%) of Canadians believe the situation for Indigenous Peoples in their own province has improved. One-quarter (27%) feel there has been no improvement, but the situation has not worsened. One-in-ten (11%) believe Indigenous Peoples’ circumstances have deteriorated:
A plurality in every region across the country believe the situation of Indigenous Peoples in their province has improved. However that sentiment is lowest in Manitoba (39%) and Saskatchewan (39%), the provinces with the largest and second-largest proportion of Indigenous Peoples in the country.
Half of those who identify as Indigenous say their situation has improved in the past decade. However, one-third (32%) see no improvement and one-in-eight (12%) see their condition worsening:
Note on methodology:
*Please note, while the views of self-described Indigenous people are reported here to provide valuable context, it should be noted that this sample is not necessarily representative of the Indigenous population of Canada as a whole.
Part Two: Contentious questions
As Canada walks the path of reconciliation, there is both understanding and resistance. The Angus Reid Institute wanted to gauge Canadians’ opinions on some of the more contentious topics surrounding reconciliation for this study, as many discussions connected to reconciliation provoke divisive discourse in Canada’s culture wars. The questions offer some background and touch on whether Indigenous Peoples should maintain a special status in Canada, Canadians’ understanding of what happened at residential schools, and whether enough has been done to address the harm those institutions perpetuated. To read the full questionnaire, click here.
Division over whether Indigenous Peoples should have unique status
Indigenous Peoples in Canada have access to social programs, non-insured health benefits, tax exemptions and other rights and benefits not available to non-Indigenous Peoples. More than half (55%) of Canadians believe this should be the case, as Indigenous Peoples “have an inherently unique status because their ancestors were here first.” Two-in-five (45%) disagree, saying that there should be no special status conferred to Indigenous Peoples in modern Canada.
On this question, the Conflicted Middle is near evenly split. Nearly all (94%) Zealous Activists believe Indigenous Peoples should fundamentally have a unique status, while most (84%) Defiant Objectors argue Indigenous Peoples and other Canadians should have the same status in modern Canada:
Three-in-five (58%) in Saskatchewan feel Indigenous Peoples should have no special status, the most in the country. Those in Ontario are more likely (59%) than those in other regions to believe that because Indigenous Peoples pre-date Europeans, they should have a unique status in Canada:
Canadians older than 64 are the only age group who believe Indigenous Peoples should have no special status in Canada at a majority level. That sentiment is disputed by at least half of all other age groups, including seven-in-ten (71%) 18- to 24-year-olds:
More than three-in-five (62%) of those who identify as Indigenous believe Indigenous Peoples should have a unique status in Canada because their settlement pre-dates the arrival of Europeans. Caucasians are split on the matter:
Two-in-five believe harm from residential schools largely resolved; half disagree
In a long-awaited move, the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government apologized on the day before National Day for Truth and Reconciliation for its role in residential schools in that province. The apology had been promised by former Premier Dwight Ball after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered one from the federal government in 2017, but Ball never delivered on the promise before leaving office in 2020. Newfoundland and Labrador was not included in the initial federal government apology by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2008 because the schools were set-up in the province before it joined Confederation.
There have been many apologies over the years, including last year when Pope Francis made a “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools. While just one step, at the time, a majority of Canadians felt it was meaningful progress towards reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous Peoples.
Many, however, argue apologies are not enough and there is much more work to be done. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 calls to action in 2015 to address the painful legacy of residential schools. A December 2022 report found that only 13 calls to action had been completed.
Approaching half (48%) of Canadians feel the harm from residential schools will continue for many generations and will need support from all levels of government. Two-in-five (41%) disagree and believe the harm has largely been resolved.
Men older than 54 are more likely than other demographics to be of the latter opinion – half (53%) believe it’s time to focus on other issues affecting Indigenous Peoples. Women are more likely to believe the harm caused by residential schools will continue for many generations, especially those aged 18- to 34-years-old, of whom two-thirds say this:
Caucasians equally likely to believe harm continues as it has been addressed
A majority of respondents who identify as Indigenous believe the harm from residential schools will continue to require support from all levels of government. Caucasians are near evenly split between agreeing that more support is needed (46%) and believing the harm has largely been resolved (44%):
There is a clear division between Canadian Culture Mindsets on this matter with nearly all (94%) Zealous Activists believing the hurt of residential schools will need to be addressed by future governments for generations and four-in-five (84%) Defiant Objectors saying the harm has largely been resolved. While Frustrated Skeptics lean towards the latter opinion, they are nearly twice as likely (17%) as Defiant Objectors to say they are unsure:
Change the names?
Given the reconciliation Canada is undergoing with Indigenous Peoples, some have suggested that the names of those who were involved in the creation of residential schools, or oversaw this policy’s enactment, should be removed from public spaces. Others have argued that those figures are key in the formation of Canada and our national identity, that it is a step too far to remove them from our collective history.
In recent years, statues of John A. MacDonald, the first prime minister of Canada, have been toppled or vandalized, and the names of MacDonald, Egerton Ryerson, and others have been removed from public buildings and institutions in favour of more inclusive monikers. Asked specifically about changing these names, Canadians are most likely (45%) to say that context is important and that communities should look at these on a case-by-case basis. A similar sized group of two-in-five (39%) say that names should not be changed, while 16 per cent would change all of them. The latter is a view primarily held by Zealous Activists, with the former is the majority opinion of both Frustrated Skeptics and Defiant Objectors:
A plurality (42%) of those who identify as Indigenous feel some names should change and some should stay the same, depending on the circumstances. However, respondents who identify as Indigenous are twice (27%) as likely as Caucasians (14%) to believe all of the streets and schools named after historical figures associated with the residential school system should change:
On the deaths at residential schools
In recent years, discussion and debate has emerged among some populations about conditions within residential schools, and the ultimate aims of their construction. Some have called this residential school denialism, the idea that schools had positive goals and that children who died there were just as likely to have died in other settings. For their part, Canadians overwhelmingly felt when asked by ARI that these schools were a form of cultural genocide, but what do they feel about the causes of deaths?
Deaths in residential schools were much more common than the general population of children at the time. A plurality, two-in-five (39%), say that the deaths were a product of neglect, with poor treatment for diseases and issues like malnutrition and overcrowding contributing. Three-in-ten (29%) – say that they simply do not know enough to say what happened.
One-in-five Canadians (19%) say that Indigenous children were purposefully killed, rather than neglected, while the smallest group, approximately one-in-eight (13%) say that these deaths were from uncontrollable factors:
Among respondents who identify as Indigenous, there is a diversity of opinion on this matter. Two-in-five (38%) believe the children in residential schools died of neglect, while one-third (32%) believe they were purposefully killed. Caucasians are half as likely (15%) to believe children were killed on purpose in the residential school system:
This issue, too, is divisive across different mindsets in Canada. Many in each group are uncertain what happened. Meanwhile, the largest group in four of the five groups say that neglect was the primary cause of a higher death rate:
Survey Methodology:
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from July 26-31, 2023, among a representative randomized sample of 3,016 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Another 322 Canadians who do not identify as male or female and who are also members of the Forum were also surveyed as a population booster. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For detailed results by Canadian Culture Mindsets, click here.
To read the full report, including detailed tables and methodology, click here.
To read the questionnaire, click here.
Image – WalkingPenguin | Dreamstime.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shachi Kurl, President: shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org @davekorzinski
Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org @thejonroe
