Government report of Aboriginal people living in urban centres shows challenges
Urban natives report "disturbing" increase in racism
Jack Aubry, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen - February 19, 2007
OTTAWA - Urban natives say they are facing an increase in racism from businesses, schools, police and employers, with an "astounding" four out of 10 Indians, Inuit and Metis reporting discrimination in Canadian cities and towns, a newly released government report reveals.
In a national poll for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 74 per cent of the Aboriginal Peoples who had experienced racism said it was at the hands of non-aboriginal people, an increase of 10 per cent from the last survey in 2003.
Forty-two per cent said they experienced discrimination by businesses, basically doubling the previous 20-per-cent finding in the earlier poll, while about one-quarter cited people at work, including their employer.
The report's conclusion said the finding was "disappointing" and "disturbing" and included the fact that aboriginal renters "often or always" experience discrimination from landlords.
Government was found to be a source of their experience of racism by two of 10 Aboriginal People, a slight rise from 2003.
There were also some positive findings, including the fact that in general, most Aboriginal People living outside of a reserve perceive their overall quality of life to be good and improving over time. However, the report pointed out the economic and social conditions experienced by natives is still not as high as might be found in the broader Canadian population.
Also one in four respondents said relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal People are improving with time, with a quarter of respondents believing it is because non-natives are better educated than in the past.
"Conversely, of those who believe that the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people is deteriorating, roughly one-quarter blame this decline on racism or intolerance, while two in 10 say it comes from a sense of neglect or mistreatment by government," said the report.
Conducted by Ekos and Anishinabek Consultants Inc., the telephone survey of 1,000 Aboriginal People carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 per cent 19 times out of 20. The final report was completed in October, with the questions developed by Indian Affairs along with Canadian Heritage, Human Resources and Social Development Canada and the Office of the Federal Interlocator.
The poll cost $300,000 and was conducted by interviewers at Ekos' call centres in Ottawa and Edmonton.
The survey also revealed negative views generally outweighed positive ones when it came to the overall quality of government service delivered to Aboriginal People living off-reserve. City or town governments came out ahead, with one-quarter of individuals rating their local government on the positive side while provincial governments only rated positive notices from two out of 10.
And it was the federal government, which is directly responsible for Aboriginal People in the Constitution, who received the worst rating, with only 12 per cent, down from 17 in 2003, giving it the thumbs up when it came to the services it offered.