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People stand on Parliament Hill in July 2021 alongside a makeshift memorial for kids who died at Indian Residential Schools throughout a rally to demand an impartial investigation into Canada's crimes in opposition to Indigenous Peoples. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Public schooling about Canada’s therapy of Indigenous Peoples is a crucial element of the method of reconciliation.
Knowing 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, consistent with the part on “schooling for reconciliation” within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s closing report.
Much of this public schooling happens in colleges, by way of the media and even through discussions amongst associates and inside households. But 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 early life.
This might have an effect on their attitudes to Indigenous Peoples and assist for the method of reconciliation itself. Given that one in 5 Canadians was born overseas, this could pose a big political threat.
Alternatively, it’s potential that, regardless of much less publicity to Canadian colleges and media, immigrants is likely to be extra supportive of Indigenous Peoples as a result of they might be extra conscious of the legacies of colonialism worldwide, extra open to study their new nation or extra aware of their accountability as newcomers to study Canadian historical past.
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Supportive of Indigenous Peoples
The query of how immigrants understand Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and vice versa, is subsequently related however hardly ever explored.
But information from the Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 survey, performed by the Environics Institute and together with sufficiently massive samples of each immigrants and Indigenous Peoples, permits us to look at these points.
Specifically, we will discover perceptions of immigrants in the direction of Indigenous Peoples and reconciliation, and have a look at responses to 3 questions:
How acquainted do you’re feeling you might be with the historical past of Indian Residential Schools in Canada?
In your opinion, have governments in Canada gone too far or have they not gone far sufficient in making an attempt 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 typically 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 assist Indigenous Peoples.
Gap in information
The survey exhibits 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 recommend first-generation immigrants are much less seemingly 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 Schools in Canada. It is notable, nonetheless, that second-generation Canadians are extra seemingly than third-generation Canadians to really feel “very acquainted” with the historical past of Indian Residential Schools.
A graph exhibits how acquainted newcomers to Canada really feel they’re with the historical past of Indian Residential Schools in Canada in comparison with Indigenous Peoples.
Author offered, Author offered
This lesser familiarity amongst first-generation immigrants, nonetheless, doesn’t translate into decrease assist for efforts to advance reconciliation.
Government response
This assist is obvious once they had been requested about whether or not governments have gone too far, or not far sufficient, to advance reconciliation.
The most hanging distinction — not surprisingly — is that Indigenous Peoples are more likely than non-Indigenous Canadians to say that governments have didn’t go far sufficient to advance reconciliation.
But 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 end result that’s important when controlling for schooling (which is a crucial 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 exhibits whether or not Canadians consider governments have gone far sufficient in making an attempt to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Author offered, Author offered
The position of Canadians
Similarly, Indigenous Peoples are unsurprisingly the more than likely to say that particular person Canadians have a task to play in reconciliation.
But first-generation immigrants are simply as seemingly as second- or third-generation Canadians to carry this view (though first-generation immigrants are additionally extra more likely to don’t have any opinion on this query).
A graph exhibits whether or not particular person Canadians have a task to play to result in reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.
Author offered, Author offered
These outcomes are encouraging as a result of they recommend that even when immigrants aren’t socialized in Canada at a younger age, that’s not an impediment to constructing understanding and assist for reconciliation.
Indigenous assist for immigration
Interestingly, the survey additionally permits us to discover the opposite facet of the connection between immigrants and Indigenous Peoples in Canada, specifically assist amongst Indigenous Peoples for immigration.
This is a probably contentious problem. On the one hand, various sources of immigration within the post-Second World War 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.
In this sense, the pursuits of immigrants and Indigenous Peoples might be aligned. But on the similar time, the continued arrival of newcomers could be seen as a continuation of the settler/colonization course of.
People have a look at the More Justice More 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
Thoughts on immigration
We can discover this problem by referring to a query within the survey asking Canadians whether or not they agree or disagree that “total, there’s an excessive amount of immigration to Canada.”
The outcomes present that there are important variations in attitudes about immigration between the overall inhabitants and Indigenous Peoples. Thirty per cent of Indigenous peoples “strongly agree” with the assertion, the best proportion amongst all teams.
A graph exhibits whether or not Canadians and Indigenous folks consider there’s an excessive amount of immigration to Canada.
Author offered, Author offered
However, this basic distinction about immigration ranges is pushed largely by the distinction in views between Indigenous Peoples and first-generation immigrants. While 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 are not any statistically important variations between Indigenous Peoples and second- or third-generation Canadians.
This means 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 necessary 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 problem. Immigration, as a coverage goal, must be pursued with a watch on the way it is likely to be perceived by those that had been displaced by the sooner arrival of settlers.
This article analyzes information from The Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 survey. This survey was funded by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, the Canada West Foundation, the Centre D’Analyse Politique – Constitution et Fédéralisme, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, and the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. The evaluation and views in introduced on this article are these of authors alone and don’t essentially characterize the views of any of the funding organizations.
Anna Triandafyllidou receives funding from SSHRC as a part of her Canada Excellence Research 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 Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University. The current article relies on findings from that work.
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