Referendum On Treaty Negotiations

Vancouver, BC - A new BC Ipsos-Reid poll taken immediately after the provincial government sent out aboriginal referendum ballots to the BC population in early April, finds British Columbians giving solid backing to all eight principles set out in the referendum. Fully two-thirds of voters definitely intending to vote answered "yes" to each of the ballot questions. Strongest backing is given to those principles that seek to ensure that province-wide standards apply for resource management and environmental protection, and that parks and protected areas are maintained for the use of all British Columbians. Somewhat weaker support is accorded the self-government, and private property expropriation principles. "With about a month to go before the final referendum deadline, BC voters are telling the provincial government in no uncertain terms that they accept all of the broad principles put before them for guiding treaty negotiations with aboriginal peoples," observes Daniel Savas, Senior Vice-President with Ipsos-Reid in Vancouver. "This is good news for the Liberals. Should these survey results hold as voting continues, the government will be able to move forward with some confidence that they have support of the BC public. Whether one agrees or disagrees with holding this referendum, or the type of questions asked, in staying the course, the Liberals will have succeeded in two things: first, giving British Columbians an opportunity to express their voice on an important public policy issue and, second, obtaining a clear mandate from the public as to how to proceed in treaty negotiations. Of course, the question remains: what will the Liberals do with this mandate for action, and, perhaps more importantly, what can they do?"

FULL MAJORITY SUPPORTS GOVERNMENT'S EIGHT REFERENDUM PRINCIPLES; TWO-THIRDS OR MORE DEFINITE VOTERS SAY "YES"

BC residents who say they will "definitely vote" in the referendum on treaty negotiations give a resounding "yes" to all eight of the principles placed before them on the ballot. At least two-thirds of the voting population give a favourable nod to all the principles. And, while probable voters are more likely to vote "yes" than the general population as a whole (about 5 to 7 points difference overall), the final result does not really change the general message emerging from these poll results: British Columbians are on the verge of giving the BC Liberal government clear direction as to what principles they feel should guide treaty negotiations. A closer look at the ballot questions reveals that British Columbians are particularly adamant about ensuring that access to parks and protected areas is maintained for everyone in the province (87% of likely voters) and maintaining provincial standards for resource management and environmental protection (86%). People give weaker backing to principles related to aboriginal self-government (66%) and the expropriation of private property (68%) Below is a tally of definite voter scores for the principles (general population %'s in brackets):

British Columbians from all regions, and all walks of life are very supportive of each of the eight principles offered up in the referendum. Any differences are really one of degree of enthusiasm rather than any real negative views being espoused. Generally speaking, though, younger British Columbians (18-34) are slightly more likely to say "yes" to the eight principles than those over 55 years of age (in 6 of 8 principles). And, women are more likely than men to say they "don't know" how they'd vote.

Regionally, there are surprisingly few differences; this is surprising given the traditional Lower Mainland vs Rest of BC distinctions we've found in other polls on aboriginal issues. In the case of the eight principles, Interior/North residents are more likely to vote "yes" than those living in the Lower Mainland when it comes to phasing out tax exemptions for aboriginal peoples (73% yes vs. 61%). Similarly, British Columbians living in the Interior/North say "yes" in greater proportions than Vancouver/Burnaby residents to the idea that hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities on Crown land be ensured for all British Columbians (76% vs. 62%).

MOST BRITISH COLUMBIANS FEEL "MODERATELY INFORMED" (57%) ABOUT REFERENDUM ISSUES

While a significant majority of the BC public (77%) claims to be informed about the issues addressed in the eight principles voted on in the referendum, most (57%) are only moderately informed. Another 21% consider themselves "very informed", while 20% say they are not informed (including 6% not at all informed).

Generally speaking, those British Columbians who claim to be most informed tend to be older (24% of 35+ "very informed" vs 14% of under 35), have completed a higher level of formal education (25% of university graduates "very informed" vs 13% of high school graduates), and live in higher income households (26% of $60K+ "very informed" vs 14% of less than $30K).

Interestingly, being informed does appear to have some impact on how one votes on each of the eight principles. In all cases, people who consider themselves less informed are more likely to vote "No" to each of the eight principles than those who say they are informed. The differences range from between 7 to 15 percentage points.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Daniel Savas
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid
(604) 893-1610 (office)