Natives treated unfairly: national poll

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In examining Canadians perceptions of the existence of unequal treatment of Natives in Canadian society, a new poll shows that most Canadians do sense unequal treatment of Aboriginal people.

A telephone poll into Aboriginal justice issues was conducted by Southam News-Angus Reid among a cross-section of 1,506 Canadian adults during the period of Sept. 20-28, 1989.

The poll found:

Half of the Canadians surveyed feel that Native people are not treated fairly by our court system.

There is a widespread belief that Natives do not receive equal opportunity in the job market.

Most Canadians feel that Natives deserve to be better off financially.

Fifty-nine per cent of Canadians feel that Native people are not responsible for bringing on their own problems.

One-third of the Canadians feel that Canada's Native people have a lot in common with the Blacks living under the apartheid rule in South Africa.

Thirty-five per cent of the Canadians surveyed agreed that the government should provide adequate financial assistance to Native people, while only 27 per cent said the government provides too much.

In regards to special Treaty rights and benefits, 40 per cent of the respondents said Canadian Aboriginal people receive the right amount, 23 per cent stated Canada provides too much and 25 per cent claimed that Native

people do not receive enough in the form of special Treaty rights and benefits.

Thirty-four per cent of the Canadians surveyed find the government unfair in their response to Native land claims and 21 per cent felt the government was generous in responding to land claims.

Poll results show that more than half of the Canadians support Aboriginal self-government.

The positive attitude of most Canadians is not new to the Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Georges Erasmus.

He believes there has always been a lot of support for Native people.