Our Approach

The Canadian Reconciliation Barometer is an online survey that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada complete. The survey covers 13 indicators of reconciliation, with several statements representing each indicator, for a total of 64 statements.

Photo credit: Mickaela Mackenzie / Winnipeg Free Press

Through several years of work, we developed the survey statements by:

  • Studying what First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Indian Residential School Survivors said reconciliation means to them in their sacred testimony to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, now housed at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. 
  • Conducting focus groups and interviews with reconciliation leaders across Canada. 
  • Connecting with groups around the world that have developed measures of reconciliation.

With all this, using the best practices in the science of psychological measurement and public polling, we plan to report on reconciliation at least annually.