Quebecers are more likely to say that Jacques Cartier — or even Christopher Columbus — “discovered Canada,” compared to the rest of the country, which refers to Indigenous people, according to a new survey. The results are based on an online study conducted by polling firm Leger for the Canadian Studies Association from July 8 to 10, in which it asked a series of questions around historical narratives in the country. The survey found that when asked the open-ended question “who discovered Canada,” 21 percent of total respondents named indigenous peoples. About 16 percent offered the name of Jacques Cartier, the French explorer who made several voyages along the country’s coasts and waterways beginning in 1534. The survey says another 15 percent of respondents said they didn’t know. He says a remnant called a mix of the Vikings, Christopher Columbus and Samuel de Champlain, another explorer credited with founding Quebec and helping to colonize the area for France. The survey involved 1,764 Canadians and cannot be assigned a margin of error because online polls are not considered true random samples. When the results were broken down by age, those 18 to 54 tended to say Indigenous Peoples in higher numbers than those 55 and older. The concept of “discovery” is one that has been challenged recently, most recently during Pope Francis’ visit to Canada. The 85-year-old pontiff faced repeated calls last month to denounce a series of decrees, known as papal bulls, dating back to the 15th century, which countries used to justify colonizing lands deemed uninhabited when in fact they were home to Indigenous peoples. . People. The survey suggests a gap between how Quebeckers and the rest of the country approach the question of “who discovered Canada.” It reports that 46 per cent of Quebecers credit Cartier with discovering Canada, compared to 11 per cent in the province that chose indigenous peoples. In contrast, the results show that 20 percent or higher of respondents in British Columbia, Canada, the Prairies, Alberta and Ontario chose aboriginal, while less than 10 percent of each chose Cartier. Association president Jack Jedwab says in Quebec there seems to be a greater tendency to see the country through the lens of the French and English nations. “Whereas in the rest of Canada now, there’s this movement to see the country more through the lens of the three founders,” including Indigenous people, he says. “There’s more exposure in that perspective than in Quebec,” he adds. As for Columbus, the survey says 20 percent of respondents in Quebec considered him the discoverer of Canada, compared to less than 15 percent of all respondents from other regions surveyed. Jedwab says the fact that Columbus was chosen is “disturbing”. “I don’t know what they’re reading, but that’s obviously not something you’ll find in any Canadian history text.” The survey also asked Canadians whether they believe they live on unceded lands — lands that aboriginal people have never legally surrendered to government authorities. Of all respondents, it says 66 percent said “no,” compared to 34 percent who said “yes.” By regional breakdown, the survey found that nearly 60 percent of respondents in B.C. — the highest of any other region — said they lived on unassigned Indigenous territory, compared to nearly 44 percent who said they did not. The survey results show that the lowest was in Quebec, where only about 20 percent of residents said they lived in unceded areas compared to 79 percent who did not. Unlike other provinces, most of B.C. deemed not to have been granted by indigenous territories. When the province joined Confederation in 1871, its government did not recognize native title and saw no need for treaties. Jedwab believes the findings indicate different levels of awareness residents in different provinces have about indigenous land issues. For example, he points out that political leaders in Quebec rarely recognize indigenous land. “When people do land recognition, there’s a reminder, a built-in reminder, about the founding of the country and what it was based on.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 25, 2022
