Canadian Human Rights Commission report shows the problems created for First Nations people
Click here for a copy of the CHRC report
Human Rights Commission report points out gaps in aboriginal well-being
POSTMEDIA NEWS JUNE 17, 2013
A group of young aboriginal people who travelled 1,600 kilometre on foot from the James Bay Cree community of Whapmagoostui, Quebec celebrate their arrival on Parliament hill in Ottawa, Monday, March 25, 2013.
Photograph by: Fred Chartrand / The Canadian Press , Postmedia News
OTTAWA - A month after data from Statistics Canada's 2011 National Household Survey painted a picture of a young aboriginal population struggling with social challenges, the Canadian Human Rights Commission is confirming what we know: that this group fares worse than the general population on several measures of health and wellness.
"This is not news that should come as a surprise to anybody," said David Gollob of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which on Monday published a report that points out stark differences between Canada's aboriginal and non-aboriginal populations when it comes to indicators of well-being. The document will serve as a benchmark for the commission to monitor how the well-being of Canada's aboriginal people changes - or fails to change - in the future.
The commission report finds that Canada's aboriginal people see lower rates of university enrolment, higher levels of unemployment, less access to health care and a bigger need for basic housing than the general population. Also among the findings are that aboriginal people are more likely than non-aboriginals to be abused, fall victim to violent crimes and be imprisoned.
The report is the second in a series being done by the Canadian Human Rights Commission to look at how inequalities affect the country's vulnerable populations. The commission, which upholds the Canadian Human Rights Act and investigates complaints about discrimination in the workplace, last year published a report looking at the well-being of people with disabilities and will eventually release studies examining the conditions faced by women and visible minorities.