Aboriginal progress report shows little progress

The Aboriginal Progress Report used Statistics Canada census data to track and assess changes on core economic issues in Indigenous communities, such as employment, income, education and living conditions between 2006 and 2011.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Canadians have made progress towards closing the economic gap between their communities and Canada as a whole—but a new report shows that gap remains wide, and is actually growing in some places.

The Aboriginal Progress Report, released June 17 by the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, uses Statistics Canada census data to track and assess changes on core economic indicators in indigenous communities, such as employment, income, education and living conditions.

The report showed, among many things, a gap in employment and income: in 2011, the employment rate for Aboriginal Canadians sat at 52 per cent, compared to 61 per cent for non-Aboriginal Canadians.

And the median income in indigenous communities was $20,701, compared to $30,195 county-wide.

But Inuit regions showed some economic progress between 2006 and 2011: unemployment in Inuit regions declined from 20.5 per cent to 19.5 per cent over that five year period—the largest drop of all Aboriginal groups.

The average income gap between Inuit and non-Aboriginal Canadians went from being 29 per cent lower in 2006 to 22.7 per cent lower by 2011.

Another small improvement to note: the number of Inuit living in overcrowded housing fell slightly from 31.1 per cent to 29.9 per cent.

But dependency on government transfers increased for Inuit communities in that same time period, by almost three percentage points.

The report found that only three per cent of Inuit are self-employed, the lowest of all Aboriginal groups.

Inuit still lag in educational success, with a 4.9 per cent university graduation rate, the lowest among Aboriginal groups, and well below the non-Aboriginal Canadian average of 28.8 per cent.

The Aboriginal Progress Report is a follow up to the board’s 2012 benchmark study which set a target of Aboriginal groups reaching parity with non-Aboriginal Canadians by 2022.

“However, three years after the initial report, the gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians remain large,” said Chief Clarence Louie, Chair of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, in a June 17 release.

The NAEDB said it’s concerned that much of the economic potential of Aboriginal people remains unrealized.

The board has estimated that indigenous Canadians will generate $32 billion a year in combined incomes across households, businesses and government by 2016, which represents about 1.5 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Not surprisingly, one of the board’s major recommendations is that the federal government establish an Aboriginal-led task force on education, to look at how to ensure access to quality education.

The report also calls for better data collection in order to track progress of Aboriginal Canadians, and also increased support for business development in Aboriginal communities.

You can read the full report here.