People on the Prairies less tolerant, CBC poll says

A poll commissioned by CBC News reveals Canadians on the Prairies are more likely to feel uncomfortable about having a romantic relationship with an aboriginal person than in any other region.

Only 50 per cent of people from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta said they would be OKwith a romantic relationship with an aboriginal person. That compares with the national average of 63 per cent.

• Canadian attitudes toward immigrants conflicted, poll says

The pollresults reflect the history of racism in Canada, said Niigaan Sinclair, an assistant professor of native studiesat the University of Manitoba.

"Starting from the residential school era, Canadians have been taught, as much as indigenous people in those schools, that they were inferior and savage,"Sinclair told CBC News.

But it is not just romantic relationships where respondents from the Prairies scored belowthe national average.

Fewer people from the Prairies who were surveyed said they werecomfortable having an aboriginal neighbour 61 per centversus75 per centnationally.

As well,66 per cent of respondents from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Albertasaid they felt comfortable working for an aboriginal person, compared to76 per centnationally.

In both cases, no other region in Canada scored as low as the Prairies.

When asked a broader question about comfort with people of a different ethnic background,respondentsresiding in Quebec and the Prairies indicate somewhat lower comfort levels compared tothose residing in the Atlantic region or British Columbia.

The CBC News national online survey was conducted by Environics Research Group between Oct. 22 and Oct. 29. Itcomprised 1,500 adults aged 18 or older, including 260 people who were visible minorities.

The poll gauged the respondents' feelings on a range of issues and scenarios, from immigration and multiculturalism to their "comfort level" with people of different ethnic backgrounds living or working in their community.

Are we racist?

This weekCBC is exploringCanadian attitudes on discrimination, immigration and multiculturalism, and the question "Are we racist?" We want to hear from you send us your story with a photo of yourself by emailing us atcommunity@cbc.caor on social media using the hashtag#MyExperienceWithRacism.

Read the poll report

Below is the full report fromthe Environics Research Group poll. The section breaking down respondents' comfort levelsabout engaging with aboriginal Canadians is on page 7.

• ON MOBILE?Check out the report here.