A new survey shows 91 per cent of respondents think reconciliation is important and 87 per cent believe it is possible.
The survey was conducted by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and polled 3,000 Saskatchewan residents between December 2018 and January 2019.
However, survey results also show 90 per cent of respondents believe racism exists in the province and 46 per cent see the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people as negative.
OTC spokesperson Rhett Sangster said the survey shows there is certainly work to do in terms of reconciliation but there is also reason for optimism.
“So again, we see a mixture of results there, taken more positively you don’t like to see some of these negative things there but at the same time acknowledging some of these problems as part of the first step in terms of trying to address them,” he said.
Sangster said the accumulation of data is all part of the vision for truth and reconciliation through treaty implementation which was launched by OTC last week.
The vision consists of the four components of learning about history, building relationships, having vibrant cultures and building systems that work for everyone.
Reconciliation committees have also been set up across the province to provide grassroots education on treaties and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.
The survey also shows 64 per cent of respondents believe the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is improving.
Fifty-eight per cent of respondents believe the political, economic and social systems in Saskatchewan do not benefit all citizens equally and 50 per cent think residents are slightly motivated or not motivated at all to work towards reconciliation.
The survey is roughly representative of the province’s demographics with 82 per cent self-identifying as non-Indigenous, 11 per cent First Nations and seven per cent Métis.
Twelve per cent of survey respondents are from northern Saskatchewan, 13 per cent from the Lloydminster region, 12 per cent from both Prince Albert and the Battlefords, 13 per cent in both Saskatoon and Yorkton, nine per cent Regina and 16 per cent in other parts of the province.
(PHOTO: Courtesy Office of the Treaty Commissioner Facebook page.)