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One-Third of Canadians View Their Country as Racist, Poll Shows

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - One-third of Canadians say their country is racist, an Angus Reid Institute poll revealed on Monday.
Sputnik

The study comes amid a discussion on race relations in Canada following the discovery of the remains of 215 children on the territory of a former boarding school for indigenous Canadians and an allegedly premeditated car attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario.

"Fully one-in-three (34 percent) say 'Canada is a racist country'. Among those who believe this most keenly: visible minorities (42 percent of whom say so) and women, particularly those under the age of 35, who are much more likely than men to hold this view (54 percent)", the study found.

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However, respondents were in overwhelming agreement - 86 percent - that diversity makes Canada a better country and more than three-quarters said they feel at home in Canada and within their communities.

Furthermore, 87 percent of Canadians say all races are equal, with 87 and 89 percent of indigenous and white respondents agreeing with the statement, however, visible minorities were most likely - 18 percent - to say that some races are superior to others.

The country is more divided on perception of racism in Canada, the poll showed. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said denial of racism is a bigger issue than vice versa. Forty one percent - led by indigenous and Western Canadian respondents - said exaggeration of racism is the bigger issue in Canada.

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