A new Ipsos poll has found that 39% of Canadians are supportive of the blockades of key transportation corridors in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Nation. While some commentators have said this shows a lack of support for protestors, others have pointed out the blockades received a higher percentage of support than any federal party received in the past election.

The #WetsuwetenSolidarity blockades are supported by more Canadians than voted for any single party in our last federal election. #cdnpoli #bcpoli https://t.co/5hr90sTFSH

— Ethan Cox (@EthanCoxMtl) February 19, 2020

Others have pointed out that public support is never quick to embrace human rights campaigns. For instance, at the time of Martin Luther King’s march on Washington, only 40 percent of Americans held a favourable view of the protest.

Human rights campaigns are never popular.

Most Americans were against desegregation. (> 75%)

The majority were against (white) women’s suffrage. (94%)

The majority were against marriage equality (68%)

So I don’t care if 61% of Canadians are against Indigenous sovereignty.

— SofiaRune (@SofiaRune) February 19, 2020

The nearly four in ten Canadians that support the blockades agreed that the protests are both legitimate and justified. The highest levels of support were found among young people, women, and residents of Ontario and Quebec. 

Add your name if you oppose the new far-right Conservative leader Erin O’Toole.

He says he wants to “take back Canada” echosing Trump’s rhetoric. We cannot let that happen