A Saskatchewan Aboriginal group is lashing out at a poll that concluded urban Aboriginals are as happy as other Canadians.
The numbers are based on a 2009 study, but were just released by the CD Howe Institute.
The president of the Aboriginal Affairs Coalition of Saskatchewan, Kim Beaudin, calls the poll fiction and damaging:
“You know, you put something out there and you have Canadians actually believe that this is the case and that everything is rosy and that — and it’s not. We just addressed an issue here not too long ago regarding racial profiling. I just believe the majority of Canadians have their head basically buried in the sand with respect to social issues.”
He says the survey allows Canadians to continue ignoring the growing urban Aboriginal ghettos in Western Canada.
Beaudin also says there are too many omissions in the poll, including the need for more education and employment of Aboriginal Canadians.
The poll was conducted by Environics.
More than 2,600 Aboriginal Canadians were interviewed.