Survey finds Indigenous Canadians often downplay their background in the workforce

A new survey finds a high percentage of Indigenous Canadians tend to deflect attention from their backgrounds in a number of situations when in the workforce.

The survey, by the not-for-profit ComIT.org, polled 500 people who self-identified as Indigenous Canadian.

It found that more than 58 per cent say they experienced discrimination in their current workplaces.

"The results - some people might think that they are staggering,” said Pablo Listingart, founder and executive director of ComIT.org.

Jeff Ward of Membertou First Nation is a proud Mi'kmaq and he pointed out he has a name that doesn't necessarily sound Indigenous.

He says that as a result, there have been times he has been treated differently.

"Sometimes when it's 'Jeff Ward from Sydney' calling to make reservations, it tends to happen easier than as 'Jeff Ward from Membertou,’” Ward told CTV Atlantic.

Because of experiences like that, Ward said it doesn't surprise him to hear about the survey findings.

"Sometimes when they see me as an Indigenous person, they think of other things,” Ward said. “'Oh, he doesn't pay taxes.' Or, 'Oh, he's here on an Indigenous seat.'"

The survey also says more than 56 per cent of respondents said they played down their Indigenous backgrounds to “fit in better” at work, that more than 52 per cent reported doing the same to get a job and more than 62 per cent said they experienced bias when applying for one.

"Even with all the training that companies are doing, even with all the programs that we are saying we are implementing, the reality shows that at least two-thirds of the people are still experiencing those situations,” Listingart said.

However, Ward said he has seen cases in which the opposite has taken place.

"The other thing is though, some people are using their Indigenousness to get either higher positions, or go into other areas, and then we're realizing that they're not even Indigenous,” Ward said.

When asked why some people might choose to downplay their Indigenous heritage, Ward said part of the reason is because it can be hard to battle what he calls “unconscious biases.”

"To me, by learning who truly we are and the skills we do have, we could take that racism away,” Ward said. “We could take that negativity away."