About one in three Canadians say country belongs to Indigenous people: poll

OTTAWA — As people across the country gather for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a new poll suggests Canadians are divided about whether the country belongs primarily to Indigenous Peoples.

The Leger poll of 1,627 people conducted between Aug. 29 and 31 for the Association for Canadian Studies suggests 38 per cent of Canadians believe Canada belongs “first and foremost” to Indigenous Peoples.

Another 43 per cent of Canadians who responded don’t agree with that sentiment, while 19 per cent of respondents say they don’t know.

The poll, which was conducted online and can’t be assigned a margin of error, suggests that younger Canadians aged 18 to 24 are far more likely to think the country belongs to Indigenous peoples, at 58 per cent, compared with Canadians aged 65 and olde