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Angus Reid Global Monitor: Polls & Research ...

Canadians Assess Aboriginal Claims, Protests
June 1, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada believe their federal administration should be more mindful of the country’s Aboriginal communities, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 68 per cent of respondents want the government to speed-up existing Aboriginal land claims disputes.

In addition, 60 per cent of respondents want Ottawa to do more to deal with poverty in Aboriginal communities.

Still, Canadians are disappointed with the recent railway line blockades staged by Aboriginal protesters. 56 per cent of respondents believe these actions are unjustified, and 67 per cent agree with Indian affairs minister Jim Prentice, who suggested penalizing native leaders if federal money is used to plan blockades.

According to the 2001 census, more than 900,000 Aboriginal persons inhabit Canada. In the 1990s, the Canadian government established the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples to assess the success or failure of past policies and develop recommendations for future programs and projects. Nunavut and the Northwest Territories give official status to Aboriginal languages.

In recent weeks, some Aboriginal groups have discussed staging a national day of action on Jun. 29, to protest the slow pace of negotiations on more than 800 native land claims.

On May 21, Prentice suggested that changes in the process would be implemented, saying, "There has been a complaint in this country for 60 years that the government of Canada serves as the defendant and the judge and the jury and the research body. (...) The government of Canada is in conflicting roles. And that’s something that we are trying to get to the heart of."

Last month, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "Provinces and territories are caught up in peacekeeping missions, trying to settle a (land claims) dispute, a dispute that often predates Confederation between a federal government and a first nations community."

Polling Data

As you may know, Aboriginal protesters have blockaded railway lines in recent weeks, as part of ongoing land claims disputes. Do you think these actions are justified?
Justified 35%, Unjustified 56%, Not sure 9%

Do you agree or disagree with these statements?

The federal government should speed-up existing Aboriginal land claims disputes
 68% Agree, 20% Disagree, 12%  Not sure
 
Native leaders should be penalized if federal money is used to plan blockades
 67% Agree, 17%, Disagree, 16%  Not sure
 
The federal government should do more to deal with poverty in Aboriginal communities
 60% Agree,  28% Disagree,  11%  Not sure

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,097 Canadian adults, conducted on May 22 and May 23, 2007. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.