Folks stand on Parliament Hill in July 2021 alongside a makeshift memorial for kids who died at Indian Residential Colleges throughout a rally to demand an impartial investigation into Canada's crimes towards Indigenous Peoples. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Public schooling about Canada’s therapy of Indigenous Peoples is a vital element of the method of reconciliation.
Realizing the historical past can higher assist residents perceive present challenges and equip them with the instruments to work respectfully with Indigenous Peoples to construct a greater future, in step with the part on “schooling for reconciliation” within the Reality and Reconciliation Fee’s closing report.
A lot of this public schooling happens in colleges, by means of the media and even through discussions amongst mates and inside households. However new immigrants to Canada may miss a few of this socialization (relying on their age of arrival) as a result of they’ll have much less publicity to Canadian colleges and media of their adolescence.
This might have an effect on their attitudes to Indigenous Peoples and help for the method of reconciliation itself. Provided that one in 5 Canadians was born overseas, this is able to pose a major political threat.
Alternatively, it’s potential that, regardless of much less publicity to Canadian colleges and media, immigrants is perhaps extra supportive of Indigenous Peoples as a result of they may very well be extra conscious of the legacies of colonialism worldwide, extra open to find out about their new nation or extra acutely aware of their duty as newcomers to study Canadian historical past.
Supportive of Indigenous Peoples
The query of how immigrants understand Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and vice versa, is due to this fact related however not often explored.
However knowledge from the Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 survey, performed by the Environics Institute and together with sufficiently giant samples of each immigrants and Indigenous Peoples, permits us to look at these points.
Particularly, we are able to discover perceptions of immigrants in the direction of Indigenous Peoples and reconciliation, and take a look at responses to 3 questions:
How acquainted do you are feeling you might be with the historical past of Indian Residential Colleges in Canada?
In your opinion, have governments in Canada gone too far or have they not gone far sufficient in attempting to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples?
Do you consider that particular person Canadians do, or don’t, have a task to play in efforts to result in reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks?
The survey outcomes usually present that, regardless of much less familiarity or certainty about these points amongst new immigrants in comparison with these born in Canada, they’re extra more likely to help Indigenous Peoples.
Hole in data
The survey reveals an enormous hole between how acquainted Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous folks — each immigrants to Canada and non-immigrants — are with the historical past of Indian Residential colleges.
The findings counsel first-generation immigrants are much less doubtless than non-Indigenous Canadians to say they’re “very acquainted” with this historical past, and usually tend to categorical no opinion.
These outcomes point out that first-generation immigrants don’t know as a lot as different Canadians in regards to the historical past of Indian Colleges in Canada. It’s notable, nevertheless, that second-generation Canadians are extra doubtless than third-generation Canadians to really feel “very acquainted” with the historical past of Indian Residential Colleges.
A graph reveals how acquainted newcomers to Canada really feel they’re with the historical past of Indian Residential Colleges in Canada in comparison with Indigenous Peoples.
Creator offered, Creator offered
This lesser familiarity amongst first-generation immigrants, nevertheless, doesn’t translate into decrease help for efforts to advance reconciliation.
Authorities response
This help is obvious after they had been requested about whether or not governments have gone too far, or not far sufficient, to advance reconciliation.
Essentially the most hanging distinction — not surprisingly — is that Indigenous Peoples are more likely than non-Indigenous Canadians to say that governments have did not go far sufficient to advance reconciliation.
However first-generation immigrants are simply as more likely to maintain this view than second- or third-generation Canadians. First-generation immigrants are additionally much less more likely to say that governments have gone too far of their efforts to advertise reconciliation — a consequence that’s vital when controlling for schooling (which is a vital step since first-generation immigrants usually tend to be university-educated than the remainder of the inhabitants).
First-generation immigrants are additionally much less more likely to take a definitive place both method, and usually tend to say “neither” or “can’t say.”
A graph reveals whether or not Canadians consider governments have gone far sufficient in attempting to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Creator offered, Creator offered
The position of Canadians
Equally, Indigenous Peoples are unsurprisingly the almost certainly to say that particular person Canadians have a task to play in reconciliation.
However first-generation immigrants are simply as doubtless as second- or third-generation Canadians to carry this view (though first-generation immigrants are additionally extra more likely to haven’t any opinion on this query).
A graph reveals whether or not particular person Canadians have a task to play to result in reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.
Creator offered, Creator offered
These outcomes are encouraging as a result of they counsel that even when immigrants aren’t socialized in Canada at a younger age, that’s not an impediment to constructing understanding and help for reconciliation.
Indigenous help for immigration
Curiously, the survey additionally permits us to discover the opposite aspect of the connection between immigrants and Indigenous Peoples in Canada, particularly help amongst Indigenous Peoples for immigration.
This can be a doubtlessly contentious challenge. On the one hand, various sources of immigration within the post-Second World Battle interval have already disrupted the narrative of Canada as a nation of two founding peoples (British and French). That in flip suggests a view of Canada that isn’t solely multicultural however multi-national, and inclusive of Indigenous Peoples and nations.
On this sense, the pursuits of immigrants and Indigenous Peoples may very well be aligned. However on the similar time, the continuing arrival of newcomers could be seen as a continuation of the settler/colonization course of.
Folks take a look at the Extra Justice Extra Peace Mural created by 17 artists to lift consciousness of injustices suffered by Black and Indigenous folks in Victoria, B.C., in August 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Ideas on immigration
We are able to discover this challenge by referring to a query within the survey asking Canadians whether or not they agree or disagree that “total, there may be an excessive amount of immigration to Canada.”
The outcomes present that there are vital variations in attitudes about immigration between the final inhabitants and Indigenous Peoples. Thirty per cent of Indigenous peoples “strongly agree” with the assertion, the very best proportion amongst all teams.
A graph reveals whether or not Canadians and Indigenous folks consider there may be an excessive amount of immigration to Canada.
Creator offered, Creator offered
Nevertheless, this basic distinction about immigration ranges is pushed largely by the distinction in views between Indigenous Peoples and first-generation immigrants. Whereas Indigenous Peoples, in comparison with first-generation immigrants, usually tend to strongly agree than strongly disagree that there’s an excessive amount of immigration to Canada, there aren’t any statistically vital variations between Indigenous Peoples and second- or third-generation Canadians.
This implies that the important thing issue influencing attitudes in the direction of immigration won’t be Indigenous identification, however being born in Canada.
Nonetheless, this discovering is vital as a result of it’s a reminder to proponents of extra immigration that they need to be open to and have interaction with Indigenous Peoples’ views on this challenge. Immigration, as a coverage goal, needs to be pursued with a watch on the way it is perhaps perceived by those that had been displaced by the sooner arrival of settlers.
This text analyzes knowledge from The Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 survey. This survey was funded by the Environics Institute for Survey Analysis, the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, the Canada West Basis, the Centre D’Analyse Politique – Structure et Fédéralisme, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Authorities, and the Johnson Shoyama Graduate College of Public Coverage. The evaluation and views in introduced on this article are these of authors alone and don’t essentially symbolize the views of any of the funding organizations.
Anna Triandafyllidou receives funding from SSHRC as a part of her Canada Excellence Analysis Chair in Migration and Integration. The analysis behind this text has been supported by the CERC Migration total grant.
Seyda labored as a researcher for the Canada Excellence Analysis Chair in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan College. The current article is predicated on findings from that work.
