Latest Statistics Canada report presenting many stories about First Nations across Canada
Statistics Canada report (click on title to access)
Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Métis and Inuit
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Nearly half of children in foster care Aboriginal: Statistics Canada
NATIONAL NEWS | 08. MAY, 2013
Of the 30,000 children under 14-years-old in foster care in 2011 nearly half were Aboriginal children despite representing about four per cent of Canada's population says a report released Wednesday.
As of 2011, there were 14,225 Aboriginal children who were listed as wards of the state according to the Statistics Canada report Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Metis and Inuit as part of the National Household Survey.
Also, Aboriginal children were less likely to be living in a family with both parents compared to non-Aboriginal children, 49. 6 per cent and 76 per cent respectively.
The same goes with single parent homes. Aboriginal children were more likely to live in a single-parent home, 34.4 per cent compared to 17. 4 per cent of non-Aboriginal children.
The report found 10,525 Aboriginal children (2.7 per cent) lived in skip-generation families which is with one or both grandparents where no parents were present.
This was the case for only 0.4 per cent of non-Aboriginal children aged 14 and under.
The report also found that more people identified themselves as an Aboriginal person in 2011 with 1,400,685 reported in the volunteer survey.
Of the total number 60.8 per cent identified as First Nations, 32.3 per cent as Metis and 4.2 per cent as Inuit.
One in six Aboriginal peoples reported they were able to speak an Aboriginal language.
However, the majority of Inuit reported being able to speak their language, mostly Inuktitute, with 63.7 per cent.
The number falls to about 22 per cent for First Nations and 2.5 per cent among Metis.
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AFN Press Release
Statistics Canada Release Reiterates Importance of Investing in Potential of First Nations
OTTAWA, May 8, 2013 /CNW/ - Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo says the Statistics Canada data released today from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) underscores the importance of investing in potential and opportunity of First Nations in Canada. "While we have concerns about the new process for collecting information, the results released today further highlight the importance of First Nations as one of the fastest growing and youngest population, and as drivers of and partners to economic development," said AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo, adding that a First Nations driven approach to data gathering, holding and assessment based on respect for First Nation jurisdiction, principles and priorities is required. Released this morning by Statistics Canada, this is the first wave of data from the 2011 National Household Survey and is focused on Aboriginal peoples, immigration and ethnocultural diversity.
Some of the key data illustrates that the First Nation population continues to grow at a much higher rate than the non-Aboriginal population at almost 23 per cent compared to 5.2 per cent for the non-Aboriginal population. The survey further outlines that the First Nation population is much younger than the non-Aboriginal population with a median age of only 26.
Some of the more staggering statistics, including Aboriginal children representing almost half of all children under 14 years of age in foster care, and 8 per cent of First Nations people reported losing their traditional language. The Survey reports that while there are more than 314,000 speakers of First Nation languages, this number has declined since 2006.
"This echoes the clear statements by First Nations that we need support for First Nation languages and it must come through education. There are currently 58 immersion First Nation schools revitalizing traditional languages through First Nation controlled education, we must continue to support others driving the solutions to address this and other challenges based on urgent need and long-term, sustainability," said National Chief Atleo. "Information such as this helps show the disparity between First Nations and other Canadians, and further shows the opportunity and potential among our peoples to drive change provided we have the required respect and supports for our own governments and solutions."
The second release of NHS data will be on June 26, 2013 and the third release on August 14, 2013. More information is available at http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-eng.cfm
The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Comms, @AFN_Updates.
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‘Tragic' number of aboriginal children in foster care stuns even the experts
BY MICHAEL WOODS & SHARON KIRKEY, POSTMEDIA NEWS MAY 8, 2013 5:05 PM
OTTAWA - Nearly half of children under 14 in foster care in Canada are aboriginal children - a number that exceeds even the grimmest estimates of a leading First Nations' child welfare advocate.
Newly released data from the National Household Survey suggest that, of the approximately 30,000 children in care in Canada in 2011, 14,225 were aboriginal.
Overall, four per cent of aboriginal children were in care, compared to a scant 0.3 per cent of non-aboriginal children, or 15,345 children.
"It's tragic, because these numbers far outstrip even our projections," said Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. Her figures had suggested aboriginals made up "30 to 40 per cent of the kids" in foster care.
"What people need to know is that the factors driving these children into foster care are not abuse-related," she said. "That doesn't mean that sexual and physical abuse does not happen in our communities. It does, and we need to courageously deal with it."
But neglect, fuelled by poverty, poor housing and substance misuse, is the main factor behind the over-representation of aboriginal children in care, she said. "Those are all things that child welfare can do something about," Blackstock said.
"What we have here is a very dire statistic for children who, just like their parents in many cases, are being removed from their families because of state neglect," Blackstock said. "The government is simply not giving these children the same opportunity to grow up with their families that all other Canadian children enjoy."
A spokesperson for federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said Aboriginal children in care "is a responsibility shared between the federal government, the provinces and territories and Aboriginal communities.
"We are moving forward with partners to implement an enhanced prevention approach to better ensure that children get the services they need," said spokesperson Andrea Richer.
Children raised in foster care tend to do more poorly in school and are more likely to experience depression and substance abuse, Blackstock said.
"We should spend all the energy we can to keep kids safely in their families," she said. "I'm not a utopian thinker. I think some kids do need to be in foster care. But not at the rates that we're seeing."
Less than half of aboriginal children lived in homes with both of their parents, compared to more than three-quarters of non-aboriginal children, according to the survey. And 34 per cent of aboriginal children - about 135,000 - lived in a lone-parent family, twice the ratio of non-aboriginal children. Most of those single parents are women.
More than one-quarter of Canada's aboriginal population were 14 and under, and nearly one-fifth were ages 15 to 24, according to the voluntary survey, which replaced the mandatory long-form census the Conservative government scrapped in 2010.
Statisticians caution there is no way of knowing how good or bad the information is from the National Household Survey. The voluntary nature of the survey leaves gaps in the data from groups that tend not to respond to voluntary surveys, including aboriginals, new immigrants and low-income families. Experts believe the data should provide a fairly accurate broad scale picture of Canada, but that the smaller the group surveyed, the less reliable the information.
The rising numbers of aboriginal youths accompany the overall steady growth in First Nations, Metis and Inuit populations, which now number more than 1.4 million combined. That means aboriginals are 4.3 per cent of Canada's overall population, compared to 3.8 per cent in 2006 and 2.8 per cent in 1996.
Between 2006 and 2011, the aboriginal population increased at a rate of 20 per cent, compared to the five-per-cent increase in the non-aboriginal population. The median age of the aboriginal population in 2011 was 28, compared to 41 for non-aboriginals.
The growing younger population is due to higher fertility rates and shorter life expectancy among aboriginals, the survey says.
But experts have also noted that legislative changes, court rulings and the combination of an increase in indigenous pride and decreased discrimination have prompted many people to report their aboriginal ancestry.
The data regarding family circumstances of aboriginal children also underscore the importance, highlighted by recent studies, that the circumstances of early childhood can have on later educational performance.
Aboriginal children ages four and under were somewhat less likely to be in foster care than those who were older (3.1% versus 3.9% of those aged five to 14).
Even then, "it's a devastating number. It makes your stomach boil," said Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in regional innovation and an expert on aboriginal issues at the University of Saskatchewan.
The numbers underscore "a tragic legacy that we don't talk about as openly as we should in Canada," Coates said. "What you're seeing is the impact on children on family breakdown, alcohol or drug abuse and cultural loss in aboriginal communities."
Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy, whose organization represents Ontario's 133 First Nations, said the household survey numbers reflect the intergenerational fallout of the residential schools system. "A large number of our First Nation elders - grandparents, parents - spent years in residential schools, from the time they were five or six years old, until their mid-teens," he said.
"You don't learn healthy parenting skills when you grow up in an institution."
Allan Adam, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta, said more resources are needed to help parents "provide adequate living conditions for their loved ones" and reduce the number of children in state care.
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New national data on aboriginals may highlight education shortfall
BY MICHAEL WOODS, POSTMEDIA NEWS MAY 7, 2013
OTTAWA - New data on Canada's aboriginal people are likely to underscore the need to address education for indigenous youth, the country's fastest-growing group, experts say.
Wednesday morning, Statistics Canada will release the first batch of data from the 2011 National Household Survey, including new information about the country's burgeoning aboriginal population.
The data will include total numbers of First Nations, Metis and Inuit, including breakdowns by area, age structure and the living arrangements of aboriginal children. It will also look at the languages spoken by aboriginal peoples.
Statisticians caution there is no way of knowing how good or bad the information is from the National Household Survey. The voluntary nature of the survey, which replaced the once-mandatory long-form census, leaves gaps in information for some groups that tend not to respond to voluntary surveys - including aboriginals.
But experts believe the data should provide a fairly accurate broad-scale picture of Canada.
Canada's aboriginal population grew by 45 per cent between 1996 and 2006, nearly six times faster than the rate of increase in the non-aboriginal population, according to the 2006 census, the last time the comprehensive study was done. Almost half the aboriginal population consisted of children and youths aged 24 and under.
Policymakers have grappled with that growth for years, as many reserves in remote areas face high school-dropout and unemployment rates. Many experts say the challenges brought by rapid population growth haven't been fully addressed, especially in the realm of education.
"The size of the young aboriginal population should have everybody's attention, because it's so large and will probably continue to grow for another 10 or 15 years," said University of Saskatchewan Prof. Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in regional innovation. "It means the demands on the federal government that flow simply from population size will be very, very substantial."
The growth is due to the higher fertility rates among aboriginal women, but also due to an increasing number of people claiming status under the Indian Act and declaring their aboriginal identity. That trend has been accentuated by the grassroots indigenous Idle No More movement.
"Idle No More is really far more than a protest movement. It's a declaration of aboriginal pride and cultural confidence," Coates said.
The population surge presents both tremendous challenges and opportunities for federal and First Nations governments. Many resource development companies are pinning hopes on the rapidly growing population of unemployed, undereducated young people in Canada's north - many of whom are aboriginal - to take key jobs.
"What stops them from getting the jobs is usually education," said Frances Abele, a professor of public policy and administration at Carleton University. "The federal government has been a bit slow in figuring out how to improve access to post-secondary education for young people living outside metropolitan centres in Canada."
Current programs are focused on specific skills training that matches people directly to jobs, especially in resource sectors, Abele said. For example, the latest federal budget introduced measures aimed at pairing young aboriginals on income assistance with much-needed skills training.
The skills-training effort should continue, Abele said, but "it's not a way to provide a resilient workforce that could move from job to job." That would require more money for kindergarten-to-grade 12 education on reserves.
"What we've tended to do is look at issues like educating aboriginal young people, particular in remote communities, as a cost factor rather than an investment factor," said Paul Maxim, a Western University sociology professor who studies the demography of aboriginal peoples.
Maxim's research has shown that the rate of return for every incremental year of education is much greater for an aboriginal person than for a non-aboriginal person.
"Maybe doubling or tripling the amount of money that we put into First Nations communities in the short term is a good thing to do, because the long-term return is greater than short-changing the investment," he said.