Portrait of Intolerance towards Indigenous people in Canada


Karishma Binta Tofail, University of Ottawa

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission acknowledges the long-lasting hardships that Indigenous people and their families faced as a result of the Indian residential school system. This provided an opportunity, arguably unprecedented in its scope, to shed some light on an often-neglected part of Canadian history and create awareness and understanding in the greater public. Despite this progress, negative attitudes and behaviours toward First Nations will likely remain in Canada for decades to come, such as negative stereotypes (perceived laziness, unfair special treatment, welfare abuse) and intolerance (discrimination and racism). This research paper explores the complex issue of intolerance toward indigenous people in Canada. It provides a detailed examination based on historical context and theoretically grounded empirical research. Our objective is to provide a portrait of intolerance toward First Nations in Canada and to examine its determinants. Our theoretical framework is based on a series of middle-range theories to explain the different factors of intolerance, most notably, realistic group conflict theory, social identity theory, contact hypothesis, and personality trait theory. This social-psychological perspective on intolerance offers insights into competition for resources, varying support for multiculturalism, the legacy of colonialism, and psychological traits. Methodologically, we performed a least-squared regression model to examine the factors that explain negative attitudes toward First Nations in Canada. To accomplish this, we used the 2014 Provincial Diversity Project Survey. By understanding the determinants of negative attitudes, we hope that we may contribute to fostering a more tolerant and inclusive future for indigenous communities in Canada.

Non-presenting author: Mathieu Lizotte, University of Ottawa

This paper will be presented at the following session: