Censorship, inequality, racism top human rights concerns in Canada, survey suggests

Canadians' top human rights concerns are about censorship, inequality and racism, suggests a survey commissioned by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, while access to health care and education are a major worry for far fewer respondents.

Meanwhile, among the rights that people feel are stronger in Canada now than a decade ago, Indigenous rights and gender equity topped the survey list, followed by rights of refugees and asylum seekers and accessibility/opportunities for those with disabilities.

A report called Foresights for Human Rights, released Monday by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, contains survey results and offers insights into the issues people in Canada are facing, where they feel progress has been made and where more attention is needed, CEO Isha Khan said in a statement.

"As we delve further into these findings, and discuss them with our partners across Canada, we will translate these foresights into new exhibitions and education programs to ensure we reach Canadians where they are at and help inspire more people to become upstanders for human rights," Khan said in the release.

The report is based on surveys conducted in fall 2023 and fall 2024 by Probe Research and completed online (or by phone when requested). The total number of respondents constitutes a representative national sample of 2,500 people, Probe said.

As the online panel is not a random sample, no margin of error can be ascribed. However, a random sample that size normally carries a margin of error of plus or minus two per cent, 19 times out of 20, Probe said.

Matthew Cutler, vice-president of exhibitions at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, said one of the main highlights of the report speaks to how respondents felt less free "to express their views and have honest conversations" in many places, including in education institutions. 

The report says 14 per cent of respondents identified censorship as the most important human rights issue in Canada in 2024, up from nine per cent last year. 

"We've got some thinking to do about how we maintain that trust, but also how we invite Canadians into those conversations in a way where they feel safe to say what they think without a fear of shame or retribution for their ideas," Cutler said. 

The survey also suggests the right to safe and affordable housing is seen to have been least improved over the past decade out of a list of 13 human rights, with just 19 per cent in 2024 (16 per cent in 2023) believing progress had been made.

Yet, when survey respondents were asked what they thought was Canada's top human rights issue, only 11 per cent cited access to affordable housing.

And when asked if they would be willing to pay more taxes to remedy the housing crisis and ensure everyone has safe and affordable housing, Canadians are split. Thirty-seven per cent agreed but 34 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with that notion.

Those most likely to agree were younger respondents (age 18-34) and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

Also, although rights of refugees and asylum seekers were seen to have improved greatly in the past decade, 41 per cent of respondents said too much attention is being focused on the rights of newcomers, and 56 per cent said refugees and asylum seekers receive too many benefits.

The number of respondents who believe immigrants make the country better dropped from 52 per cent in 2023 to 44 per cent in 2024.

More research is needed to understand the roots of this trend, the report says.

Cutler said the results suggest it is important to find ways to talk about human rights in the framework of immigration. 

"There's this sense that 'we need to take care of our own' … and I think demonstrates how seriously people are taking the affordability question and a concern about how the resources are being spread," he said. 

"But it's not a matter of splitting the pie in smaller pieces.… There's room for everyone to have dignity and rights."

Respondents also perceived human rights in Canada differently from human rights across the world: two-thirds of respondents were optimistic about human rights in Canada, but just one-third were optimistic about them globally.

"There was a sense of collectivism … that we could do this together within the country," Cutler said. "That optimism doesn't extend to the world." 

Concerns related to war and violence topped the listed human rights concerns in both 2023 and 2024, followed closely by concerns related to sexism and women's rights, the report says. The latter, though, is considered one of the most improved areas in Canada. 

That difference could be explained by the fact that 40 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that "human rights violations mostly happen in other countries," the report says.

Among racialized and newcomer respondents, 50 per cent agreed with this statement, which suggests life experience impacts how human rights violations are understood, the report says.

There was an increase in the number of people who reported experiencing human rights violations between 2023 and 2024 (from 25 per cent to 31 per cent), with the highest numbers among Indigenous (56 per cent) and 2SLGBTQ+ respondents (52 per cent) in 2024.

Other findings include:

• Emerging upstanders: There has been a marked increase in Canadians willing to take action when they witness human rights challenges.
• Trust eroding in some institutions: While high levels of trust remain in teachers, human rights advocacy groups and museums, trust in other sources is eroding when it comes to human rights. Religious leaders, businesses and social media are among the least trusted on this topic.