Manitobans’ opinions about whether the justice system treats Indigenous fairly or not depends upon where they live, their political leanings and whether or not they identify as Aboriginal, a Probe Research/Winnipeg Free Press poll has found.
The poll question, which referenced recent high-profile legal cases involving Indigenous victims – the Gerald Stanley trial in Saskatchewan and the Raymond Cormier trial in Winnipeg – asked, “All things considered, in your own view, would you say that Canada’s Indigenous people are treated fairly or unfairly by the Canadian justice system?”
Overall 56 per cent of respondents said the justice system treats Indigenous people “generally fairly” while 44 per cent felt Indigenous people were treated “generally unfairly” by the courts. Fifty-eight per cent of non-Indigenous people felt that the system was fair to Indigenous people, while 47 per cent of First Nations, Métis and Inuit respondents felt it was unfair.
Women and low-income respondents, as well as those who lived in Winnipeg, were more likely to view the justice system as unfair towards Indigenous people, with 49 per cent of Winnipeggers viewing the legal system as fair compared to 66 per cent of people outside of the city. Men were more likely than women – 60 to 52 per cent – to think Indigenous people were treated fairly, while 45 per cent those with incomes less than $30,000 per year thought it was fair, compared to 52 per cent of those with incomes of $30,000 to $59,000, 57 per cent of those with incomes between $60,000 and $99,000 and 58 per cent of those respondents who earn $100,000 or more per year.
When it came to the attitudes expressed by supporters of different political parties, only 33 per cent of NDP supporters think the legal system treats Indigenous people fairly compared to 41 per cent of those who support the provincial Liberal party and 76 per cent of those who support the Progressive Conservatives.
The survey, based on random and representative sampling of 1,000 Manitobans between March 12 and March 29, conducted by random dialling of landline and cell phone numbers, is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points 95 per cent of the time.
Forty-eight per cent of survey respondents were men and 52 per cent women, with 60 per cent of respondents from Winnipeg and 40 per cent from outside the city. Nearly 60 per cent were post-secondary graduates and about 20 per cent each had some post-secondary education or just a high school diploma. A third were 18 to 34 years old and about 30 per cent were 55 or older, with 35- to 44-year olds and 45-to 54-year-olds each accounting for about 20 per cent.
About a third made more than $100,000 per year, with another earning between $60,000 and $99,000. Those with incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 made up 22 per cent of respondents, with people making less than $30,000 a year accounting for 11 per cent.
