Support for the British monarchy in Canada's western-most province might be waning, but British Columbians are becoming less eager to take the 'British' out of the province's name to acknowledge its Indigenous heritage.
A recent poll from Research Co. finds 60 per cent British Columbians disagree with changing the name of the province to recognize the province's Indigenous roots. A similar poll released in November 2022 found opposition to a name change at 53 per cent.
Support for a name change has dropped to 29 per cent from 32 per cent between the two polls, as well.
Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and advocates have called for greater recognition of pre-colonization Aboriginal place names.
Notable examples in B.C. include the renaming to Haida Gwaii of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the use of Salish Sea to describe the waters east and south of Vancouver Island. Other geographic features as well as streets, parks, and schools among other buildings have also undergone changes. Other institutions such as the provincial legislature have also added elements to recognize B.C.'s Indigenous heritage without necessarily changing their names.
But the process has also generated opposition, most recently in the Sunshine Coast community of Powell River, where a three-year-old proposal to rename that community has caused controversy. (Both the local hospital and the regional district have renamed themselves).
The municipality bears the name of Israel Powell, who served as superintendent of the newly formed Department of Indian Affairs in the late 19th century. As such, he bore responsibility for various policies designed to assimilate First Nations, banning various cultural practices and supporting the residential school system. Opponents of the proposed name change say it would undermine their sense of history and identity.
The Research Co. poll suggests that almost two-thirds of respondents (65 per cent) say nothing bothers them about the name 'British Columbia' for the province.
But the poll also reveals considerable regional and sociological differences among British Columbians when it comes to the prospect of a name change.
Nearly 38 per cent surveyed residents living in northern B.C. favour a name change. Support for a name change drops to 32 per cent in Metro Vancouver, 31 per cent on Vancouver Island, 21 per cent in the Fraser Valley and 20 per cent in the southern Interior.
Support for a name change is highest among British Columbians aged 18 to 34 at 52 per cent, but declines with age to 31 per cent among those aged 35 to 54 and 11 per cent among those aged 55 and older.
Research Co. President Mario Canseco says 61 per cent of British Columbians of Indigenous descent would welcome a name change. "The proportions are lower among residents whose heritage is South Asian (38 per cent), European (29 per cent) or East Asian (29 per cent)."
Canseco's company also asked British Columbians how they would feel about removing the Union Jack from B.C.'s flag. Just one-in-three British Columbians would support such a change with 51 per cent opposed and 19 per cent unsure.
According to the poll, appetite for a change is highest among Indigenous British Columbians (51 per cent) and British Columbians with South Asian roots (48 per cent) but drops among those whose heritage is East Asian (35 per cent) and European (26 per cent).
