The most recent Statistics Canada data confirm the trends identified in previous analyses and censuses. Below are the key findings from the 2011 National
- Québec’s Aboriginal population is young, with 23.7% being under the age of 14, compared with 16.1% of the non-Aboriginal population. While the median age of Aboriginal people is 31 to 41, the median age of Inuit is 21.
- In 2011, 29.7% of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under lived in a single-parent family, compared with 18.6% of non-Aboriginal children.
- Just over half (51.8%) of First Nations
First Nationspeople between the ages of 25 and 64 hold a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, compared to nearly two-thirds (65.9%) of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.A term that came into common usage in the 1970s to replace the word “Indian,” which some people found offensive. Among its uses, the term refers to the Status, Non-Status and Treaty Indians of Canada. Some Aboriginal peoples have replaced the word “Band” in the name of their community with the term “First Nation,” respecting their distinct language, culture, heritage and systems of knowledge. Although “First Nation” is widely used, it has no legal definition.
Thus, a person might say that they’re from the Naskapi First Nation of Kawawachikamach, or the Atikamekw First Nation of Manawan, or the Mohawk First Nation of Akwesasne, etc., identifying both the nation to which they belong and their place of origin or residence.- In 2011, 16.9% of First Nations people held a high school diploma or equivalent, while 31.3% had no certificate, diploma or degree. The corresponding percentage for the Inuit population was 55.8 %. By comparison, just 14.5% of Québec’s non-Aboriginal population did not have a certificate, diploma or degree.
- The disparity is the most evident at the university level: only 2.6% of Inuit have a university certificate, diploma or degree at the bachelor level or above, compared to 23.5% of the non-Aboriginal population. There is also a significant gap for First Nations people (8.9%) and Métis (11.1%).
- Overcrowded housing is more prevalent on reserves and in the North.
A study conducted by the economist Régent Chamard for the First Nations and Inuit Labour Market Advisory Committee (Chamard 2016) revealed persistent employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Québec. The gap in the employment rate between First Nations and the general population averaged 10.8 percentage points in 2001, 2006 and 2011. For the same three years, the employment rate gap for the Inuit averaged 8.7 percentage points. The unemployment rate for First Nations and Inuit was more than double that for the general population in 2001, 2006 and 2011.
Chamard’s research also revealed that more than one out of every five (22.6%) First Nations people and Inuit lived below the poverty line in 2010, compared with 16.7% of the total Québec population.
However, the study also showed significant disparities between Québec’s regions. In the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, for example, the unemployment rate for First Nations living in communities averaged 33.3% in 2011 and was as high as 54.5% for the Algonquin Long Point First Nation and 42.2% for the Lac Simon First Nation. The situation is much the same for Innu communities and the Naskapi community
Crowded Homes and Homes Requiring Major Repairs
Photo credit: Pierre Lepage
Photo credit: Pierre Lepage
Rate of employment and unemployment for first nations and inuit and the general population, québec, 2001, 2006 and 2011
| Employment rate | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Nations | 45,2 % | 50,7 % | 50,8 % |
| Inuit | 49,7 % | 50,8 % | 52,6 % |
| General population | 58,9 % | 60,4 % | 59,9 % |
| Unemployment rate | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 |
| First Nations | 19,5 % | 15,5 % | 15,0 % |
| Inuit | 18,7 % | 19,7 % | 16,2 % |
| General population | 8,2 % | 7,0 % | 7,2 % |