Majority of youth say Canada ‘belongs’ to Indigenous people: poll
A growing share of young Canadians believe Canada belongs to Indigenous peoples, according to new polling that highlights a widening generational divide over national identity.
A growing share of young Canadians believe Canada belongs to Indigenous peoples, according to new polling that highlights a widening generational divide over national identity and historical interpretation.
The survey, conducted by Leger and first reported by the Canadian Press, found that 58 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 24 agreed with the statement that “Canada belongs to Indigenous peoples.”
That figure stands in stark contrast to just 24 per cent among those aged 65 and older.
Overall, about one in three Canadians (34 per cent) supported the statement, while a majority either disagreed or were unsure.
The results come as debates over land acknowledgements, Aboriginal title, and reconciliation continue to shape policy and public discourse across the country.
Political commentator Caroline Elliott reacted to the polling results on X, calling the youth sentiment the product of what she described as a long-running campaign in the education system.
“This is the direct product of an education system that has been relentlessly driving this narrative, unchallenged, for well over a decade,” Elliott wrote.
She warned that “more than double the number of younger Canadians than older Canadians think ‘true’ ownership of our country is (or should be) based on ethnic lines,” and added, “we won’t fix our country until we fix education.”
The poll results follow a recent ruling in British Columbia that granted the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title over 800 acres of government land in Richmond, B.C.
That case, and others like it, have sparked debate over how Indigenous title interacts with private property and provincial authority.
Support for the idea that Canada belongs to Indigenous peoples was highest in British Columbia and Quebec, and lowest in the Prairie provinces, according to the poll.
It also found that ounger Canadians were far more likely to express alignment with reconciliation narratives and Indigenous land claims than older respondents.
The survey included over 1,500 Canadians and was conducted online.
 | A guest post by
|