Conversations with Canadians
Residential school survivor Donna Debassige addresses participants in one-on-one dialogues about residential schools, Toronto, April 5, 2025
The truth emerging from the history of residential schools has divided Canadians.
In October 2024, the Independent Special Interlocutor mandated to address the disappearance of tens of thousands of children at these schools issued a challenge to us. In her Final Report on Missing and Disappeared Children, Kimberly Murray called on non-Indigenous Canadians to counter denialism.
True to our mandate of applying best practices from other democracies, the Circle for Democratic Solidarity took up this challenge. We borrowed a practice pioneered by the German news agency Die Zeit to help citizens discuss divisive topics – convening thousands of people to meet face to face.
You can read more about the method, called “My Country Talks” here:
“Improving Social Cohesion, One Conversation at a Time”
“Does Contact Reduce Affective Polarization? Field Evidence from Germany”
Starting in February 2025, we began to convene Canadians to discuss the Final Report.
1. We took the five myths mentioned in the Report
2. We then framed discussion questions based on these myths
3. We reviewed them with residential school survivors
4. We developed briefing materials from Kimberly Murray’s report
So far we have conducted two rounds of this exercise – the first in Ottawa on February 4 and the second in Toronto on April 5. The results showed a 25% shift in opinion after a single conversation.
Consistent with results when this method has been deployed in Germany, our “Canadians in Conversation” generated an additional benefit: a 63% increase in the trust Canadians have in our democracy. When we meet to discuss the issues that divide us, our democracy becomes stronger.