How do Canadians today see relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and how the process of reconciliation unfolding? Confederation of Tomorrow surveys have been addressing this topic since 2019, and the 2024 survey provides a fresh update on public attitudes from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives, and how they have evolved over time.
This latest research reveals that over the past year there has been a small but measurable improvement in Canadians’ perspective on relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and reconciliation, building on a similar shift over the previous year. An increasing proportion of Canadians describe relations between the two groups as good, which reflects the most positive assessment since 2020 when this question was first asked. Most Canadians continue to be optimistic about the future of reconciliation, in terms of seeing meaningful progress in their lifetimes. On these questions, Indigenous Peoples are notably more positive and optimistic than non-Indigenous Canadians, and this gap has widened since 2023.
Survey Details
The 2024 study consists of a survey of 6,036 adults, conducted between January 13 and April 13, 2024 (82% of the responses were collected between January 17 and February 1); 94% of the responses were collected online. The remaining responses were collected by telephone from respondents living in the North or on First Nations reserves.
Funder
This project benefits from the financial support of the Research Support Program of the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC) / Ce projet bénéficie de l’appui financier du Programme d’appui à la recherche du Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC).
The Confederation of Tomorrow surveys give voice to Canadians about the major issues shaping the future of the federation and their political communities. They are conducted annually by an association of the country’s leading public policy and socio-economic research organizations: the Environics Institute for Survey Research, the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, the Canada West Foundation, the Centre D’Analyse Politique – Constitution et Fédéralisme, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and the First Nations Financial Management Board.
More from this Series
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The Confederation of Tomorrow surveys have covered relations with Indigenous Peoples from the beginning in 2019, documenting a gradual shift in Canadian public opinion toward greater support for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the process of reconciliation.
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This year’s report from the 2025 survey provides an opportunity to assess the state of public opinion on these issues 10 years after the completion of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
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