Three-quarters of francophone Quebecers believe that federal grants to First Nations peoples should be either reduced or eliminated altogether, according to a poll conducted by La Presse and Radio-Quebec in early March. Among anglophones, only 28 per cent believe the funding should be cut.
Also, 52 percent of francophones say the quality of life in First Nations communities is “much better” or “a little better” than elsewhere in Quebec. Only 26 per cent of anglophone Quebecers believe the same thing.
In reality, according to Statistics Canada, 34 per cent of on-reserve First Nations families live in poverty versus 18 per cent of the general population; death by suicide is 2.4 times more common among aboriginal peoples; and the average income for First Nations peoples was $9,900 in 1985, half the Canadian average.
