Race-based study results in media headline stating "Canadian aboriginals come out on top"
Race based research and mainstream media coverage presented in this article shows how little is still understood about First Nations by academics and urban Canadians. This type of material seems to be more about how to keep First Nations poor by helping Canadians believe that everything is okay. Any study comparing groups of indigenous people from different countries is just about looking at the disadvantaged in our society. Using a survey tool that is intended for a completely different purpose definitely produces some interesting conclusions for some people.
Canadian aboriginals come out on top in study
The Canadian Press - Dec. 19 2007 - Canadian aboriginals may lag behind the rest of the country in health, income and education, but new research suggests they're doing better than their counterparts in some other countries.
In a study that adapts the United Nations Human Development Index to look at aboriginals in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, it's the Canucks and Kiwis who come out on top with the land Down Under sinking further.
"It's been slow, and important differences remain, but there's been progress,'' said Martin Cooke, a sociologist at the University of Waterloo, whose paper was published Wednesday in the online journal International Health and Human Rights.
Every year, the United Nations ranks countries around the world using the Human Development Index, a measure that compares life expectancy, literacy, education and standard of living. The index typically ranks Canada near the top.
But after hearing comments from aboriginal leaders that Canada's high ranking ignored the plight of their communities, Cooke and his fellow researchers decided to use the index to get a rough idea of how the gap between aboriginals and non-aboriginals has changed between 1990 and 2001 -- and how Canada compares internationally.
They found that not only did Canadian aboriginals score the highest of the four countries studied, they were virtually tied with New Zealand for making the most progress in catching up to the mainstream during the study period. Australia, where the index scores for aboriginals actually dropped, fared the worst.
Canadian aboriginals, on average, scored about the same on the index in 2001 as Chile or Cuba. Australian aboriginals ranked on the same level as El Salvador or Egypt.
The U.S. ranked second on overall development, but third after New Zealand on closing the gap.
Canada also had the highest aboriginal life expectancy at 72.9 years in 2001. The gap between aboriginals and the mainstream was 1.5 years less than in 1990.
In Australia, life expectancy remained static at 59.6 years and the gap actually widened by 2.6 years. The American figure was 70.6 years in 2001 and the gap narrowed by .8 years.
The U.S. did the best job in narrowing the education gap, with Canada close behind. The Australian gap widened over the decade.
New Zealand's Maori made the most money, with a median income of $23,000 in constant dollars in 2001. The Canadian figure was $18,700 -- a figure that made only minimal progress on catching up to the mainstream median of $27,600.
U.S. aboriginals brought in only $16,000 but made the most progress narrowing the gap. Again, Australian aboriginals fell further behind.
The study doesn't take into account wide regional variations, Cooke said. It also doesn't examine issues such as retention of aboriginal languages or political self-determination.
"We were happy to find some of the improvements we did, but not without cautions. In Canada, gaps remain and that's important for us to remember. We can't really take improvement for granted.''
Cooke said it would be tough to use the study to judge aboriginal policies, saying the findings are too broad to be applied to specific legislation or regulations.