By the Numbers: Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

1,172,790

Number of people who identify themselves as Aboriginals in Canada.

8 in 10

Aboriginal people currently reside in Ontario and the four Western provinces.

63 percent

Percentage of Aboriginals who participate in Canada’s workforce.

48 percent

Percentage of Aboriginals who are less than 25 years old.

160,000

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children were enrolled in the residential school system established in 1883. Mistreatment, abuse and neglect of Aboriginal children within these schools were common. These experiences have influenced the high rates of drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide within Aboriginal communities today.

50 percent

Of Aboriginals living on reserves do not complete high school. This is especially disheartening when compared to non-Aboriginals of the same age of which only 15 percent do not complete high school.

1 in 4

Aboriginal peoples’ homes require major repairs.

11 percent

Number of Aboriginals living in crowded homes. Aboriginal peoples are four times more likely to live in over-crowded dwellings than non-Aboriginals. 

1969

The year Trudeau introduced the “White Paper on Indians” that proposed to end the different legal status of Indians and was rejected by the Aboriginal community. 

1996

The year the Canadian government established the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. 

$1.9 billion

The total compensation paid by the Canadian government in 2008 to the victims of the residential school system.  

On June 21^st join the UFCW in celebrating National Aboriginal Day to pay tribute to the thousands of Aboriginals living in Canada. June is a month to celebrate and embrace First Nations, Inuit and Métis’ unique cultures and traditions, while respecting and remembering the past injustices.

Source: Mintz et al., Democracy, Diversity and Good Government: Aboriginal Rights and Governance; Statistics Canada, Aboriginal Identity (2010).