SASKATCHEWAN — While most Canadians are staying up to date on the One Canadian Economy Act, many lack a clear grasp of the principles at stake, according to data released by the Angus Reid Institute last week.
Research associate Jon Roe said the Angus Reid Institute surveyed 2,508 people to gauge public opinion regarding Section 35 of the Constitution Act and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
“We wanted to see where Canadians stood on these issues, especially as we're looking through Mark Carney's government,” Roe said.
The results come as legislatures across the country move to scale back Indigenous and environmental consultations amid economic uncertainty from U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump.
“He's kind of the elephant in the room in every Canadian conversation right now,” Roe said. “I think he has an outsized effect on all these considerations.”
The data backed this up, with three out of four Canadians claiming to have been following the latest developments around Bill C-5 in the news.
But that did not equate to having a working understanding.
When asked about UNDRIP, only 14 per cent of pollsters reported having prior knowledge of it, compared to 43 per cent who said they had never heard of it.
Professor Peter Graefe from McMaster University suggested the focus on Residential Schools in public discourse regarding reconciliation might explain this knowledge gap.
“I think it also fits more broadly a Canadian disregard for international commitments, which are seen not as binding … than more sort of a vibes-based approach,” Graefe said.
Chadwick Cowie, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto from Pamitaashkodeyong, also noted that this limited understanding of UNDRIP could stem from Canadian federalism.
“Education and a good chunk of UNDRIP falls into provincial jurisdiction,” Cowie said. “So, while the federal government supports it … that doesn't mean the provinces have to.”
Adopted in 2007, UNDRIP affirms the right of Indigenous peoples worldwide to self-determination.
Once survey respondents were informed of this, 39 per cent said they favoured making it legally binding in Canada, compared to 30 per cent in opposition.
Yet, when asked if Canada’s obligations under UNDRIP should take precedence over development projects, 43 per cent of respondents voiced opposition to just 30 per cent in favour.
This seemingly contradictory belief, Cowie predicts, came down to Canadians supporting Indigenous rights in theory until it requires personal sacrifice.
“It seems that Canadians want their cake and eat it too,” Cowie said.
The survey also collected data across geographical, political and gender demographics.
Across the different Canadian regions, support for UNDRIP was concentrated strongest in Quebec and opposition to it was in the west.
Cowie noted this could reflect Quebec’s history of using trilateral agreements in the north and east of the province to resolve disputes between settlers and First Nations.
“But it hasn't impacted the St. Lawrence River Valley area,” Cowie said. “They wouldn't have had the St. Lawrence Seaway put in place if this had existed.”
In addition, nearly half of Conservative voters supported moving ahead with infrastructure projects regardless of First Nations objections, compared to 11 per cent of Liberal voters.
“The two provinces that had the highest no were Alberta and Saskatchewan,” Cowie added, saying it's important to note that this is where the Conservative base is strongest.
There was also a noticeable divide between genders, with young women prioritizing UNDRIP over development by a two-to-one margin, while men opposed it by the same ratio.
Graefe said this may be linked to how the resource extraction sector is a male-dominated industry.
“There's plenty of women who work in extraction, but it's men who have done very well in those jobs in the past,” Graefe said. “They're the people who have the greatest kind of direct material interest in relatively unfettered resource development.”
Graefe also noted a broader trend of Canadian men becoming more likely to vote Conservative over the past two decades.
Nevertheless, Roe said it remains to be seen whether these findings represent a long-term trend or are the product of the current political climate.
“There's a lot of support in making sure that we're doing all the right things,” Roe said. “But Canadians are really concerned with the economic ramifications of this deterioration of the relationship between Canada and the United States.
