Poll finds youth “cautiously optimistic” reconciliation can be achieved
- Kaitlynn Nordal | July 15, 2019
A recent poll of roughly 1,300 youth aged 16 to 29 of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal descent found that this generation is cautiously optimistic reconciliation can be achieved in their lifetime.
Max FineDay, Executive Director of the Canadian Roots Exchange, got the idea to develop the National Youth Reconciliation Barometer (NYRB) to scientifically measure how people were truly feeling on the topic.
“There have been polls about so many other things but never about youth attitudes on reconciliation,” said FineDay. “So, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do it if I could find the support to do it.”
After getting the idea in fall 2018, he approached Environics Institute about partnering. The Mastercard Foundation then came on board and funded the poll as they also wanted to know what younger people were thinking and feeling.
They have been doing this kind of work for roughly 11 years as a company but FineDay felt it was time to see what the younger generations thoughts were.
“Often times when we talk about reconciliation it's about governance, politicians and elected leadership,” said FineDay. “I have a lot of respect for those positions but the people who are going to be living with the outcome of reconciliation, whether that’s good or bad, is going to be young people. So, it was important for me to get a snapshot of how we are doing.”
To make sure this was a national project the poll was open to those aged 16 to 29 across Canada of every nationality living on and off reserve from the end of March to the end of April.
The NYRB ask roughly 30 questions such as if the person was non-indigenous where they were learning about Indigenous issues and asked Indigenous youth if they felt they were still being discriminated against and asked both groups if they were hopeful about reconciliation being achieved in their lifetime among other questions.
FineDay was optimistic about the polls results.
“We found that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth are optimistic that reconciliation can be achieved in their lifetime and that we are on the right path as a country in advancing this important work,” said FineDay.
He also said it is cautious optimism revealed in the results.
“I think it’s important to look at those results and say this optimism does not come without conditions. I think young people are looking at Canada today and saying despite everything…we are willing to extend our hand out to you hoping that we can get this right., its incubate upon Canada, governments and folk in our parents’ generation to say how can I help, assist, and work to advance reconciliation too,” he said.
FineDay was surprised the results of the poll were this optimistic not surprised Saskatchewan ranked on the lower end of the scale.
“In Saskatchewan we have sch a fraught history. We have such a difficult relationship (and) we are trying to repair (it),” he said. “We still see this case of colonialism that Saskatchewan … is still suffering from and we see the disparity in Saskatchewan.”
He hopes the results of the NYRB can be used as path to make things better in the future.