2019 General Population Survey: Results from a Saskatchewan-based Survey on Attitudes Toward Reconciliation
Technical Report
The Office of the Treaty Commissioner, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Social Sciences Research Labs, created a survey to help explore the attitudes, motivations, and thoughts about Reconciliation within Saskatchewan. The purpose of this survey was to establish a baseline of public attitudes towards Reconciliation. To do so, survey questions (to view a complete copy of the survey questions, please refer to Appendix A) were designed around a Vision for Truth and Reconciliation through Treaty Implementation that was created in consultation with thousands of Saskatchewan residents from 2015 to 2018. When asked what Reconciliation could look like a generation from now, Saskatchewan residents have told us that Truth and Reconciliation through Treaty Implementation is about walking together on a journey to create a new, shared future for our children and grandchildren.
Taken all together, we see an acknowledgement among the majority of respondents that problems exist in our province, including the presence of racism, inequities in our systems, and the reported negative relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. We also interpret a need for greater education on the TRC's Calls to Action and strategies to combat a perceived low level of motivation to work towards Reconciliation. However, we also interpret a certain level of agreement that relationships are improving and a strong agreement that Reconciliation is both important and that it is possible. This survey helped us interpret that Saskatchewan residents hold some sense of hope in our collective journey towards Reconciliation. However, this hope appears to be tempered by a recognition of the problems we face in Saskatchewan and the work remaining to be done for a better future for us all.
