A Tendency to Overgeneralize

The previously cited report by economist Régent Chamard (Persistent Gaps Between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal People) showed significant disparities not only between the different regions of Québec, but also within a given nation. Chamard invites the reader to interpret the available data with caution. The fact that three Mohawk communities (Kahnawake, Akwesasne and Kanesatake) along with the Huron-Wendat Nation declined to answer the National Household Survey precludes a complete, nuanced picture of the situation of Aboriginal people in Québec. Some Aboriginal communities clearly enjoy better living conditions and are more prosperous than others. The Abenaki communities of Odanak and Wôlinak have a higher Community Well-Being index score than other Aboriginal communities covered by the study. Similarly, within the Innu Nation, the community of Mashteuiatsh in the Lac St-Jean region is better off than other Innu communities. Nemaska, Oujé-Bougoumou and Eastmain had the highest well-being scores among the Cree communities. Among the Algonquin communities, the Kitigan Zibi and Kebaowek First Nations appear to fare better, while the community of Kuujjuaq had the highest well-being score of the Inuit communities assessed.

Even the small amount of comparative data cited in this chapter should be enough to convince people that, despite all the efforts made to improve the living conditions of Aboriginal people, they are still by and large far from enviable. To claim, bereft of nuance, that Aboriginal people are “citizens plus” who live just as well or are even better off than the general population is to be ignorant or misinformed about the situation.