A new Leger poll conducted for the Association of Canadian Studies reveals that Canadians are more likely to reject the idea that historic injustices against Indigenous peoples are “mostly in the past.” The survey, released for National Indigenous Peoples Day, found that 48 per cent of respondents agree that historical injustices are still relevant today, compared with 42 per cent who disagree.
Survey Highlights Key Divide in Public Opinion
“The survey is especially relevant to debates about reconciliation and suggests that many Canadians believe acknowledging past injustices should inform current policy responses,” Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association of Canadian Studies, told the National Post. “At the same time, the sizeable share who say these injustices are mostly in the past shows that Canadians differ in the degree of ownership, responsibility, or urgency they feel regarding historical wrongs.”
Jedwab noted that the findings point to a central challenge for reconciliation efforts: building support for present-day action in a society where many recognize the continuing impact of past injustice, but many others are not persuaded that those injustices should drive current policy decisions.
Demographic and Regional Differences
The survey uncovered notable differences by gender, age, and region. Women are more likely than men to view these injustices as still relevant. “I would suggest that men may be less likely to connect historic injustice to current social and economic inequalities, whereas women may feel that they better understand such inequalities,” Jedwab said.
Age also plays a role: Canadians under 55 are more likely than those over 55 to disagree that the issue is mostly in the past. The breakdown by age shows 47 per cent of those aged 18–34 disagree, 52 per cent of those aged 35–54 disagree, and 45 per cent of those aged 55 and older disagree. Jedwab attributed this to younger generations being “more exposed to public conversations about residential schools, reconciliation, land acknowledgements and Indigenous injustices” through schooling, workplaces, media, and public institutions. “These issues have become a greater part of the conversation about identity in Canada, with more recent generations more inclined to see relations between Indigenous and non-indigenous as the defining marker of the country’s historic existential challenge.”
Regional Variations
Regionally, Ontarians are least likely to agree that historic injustices have lost relevance (38 per cent). In contrast, residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more likely to say they are past (51 per cent). Jedwab noted that the latter region “has the highest percentage of indigenous persons” and suggested the difference “may reflect different views about the role of government, greater polarization around Indigenous issues and/or local tensions where questions around land, resources, poverty, justice, and Indigenous rights are especially pronounced.”
