Current Issues

In Alberta today there are 48 First Nations groups living on and off the 140 reserves in the province. Together they represent many linguistic groups, the largest being the Cree, who make up more than half of the Aboriginal population in Alberta. Approximately one-half of First Nations people in Alberta lived on a reserve in 2011. 

Alberta is home to 96,865 Métis people, the largest Métis population in Canada. Alberta has the only recognized Métis land base in Canada with the total population of the eight Métis settlements being 4,858. There are 1,985 Inuit people living in Alberta. Most Inuit people who choose to leave Canada’s Arctic move to urban centres like Edmonton.

A Statistics Canada report on Aboriginal peoples based on data obtained from the 2006 census provides some interesting figures about Canada’s and Alberta’s FNMI populations. *Remember to view these statistics with caution as they can be misleading. These are only a few of the issues facing Aboriginal peoples today, both on and off the reserve. 

Population:

From 2006 to 2011, the First Nations population in Alberta increased by 19 per cent, while the Métis population rose by 14%, and the Inuit population rose by 24 per cent. Nearly half (49%) of Aboriginal people in Alberta were under the age of 25, compared to 32% of the nonAboriginal population. In Alberta, 44 per cent of First Nations children aged 14 and younger lived in a family with both their parents in 2011, as did 59% of Métis children and 61% or Inuit children. The corresponding percentage of non-Aboriginal children is 80%. About a third of First Nations children and 28% of both Métis and Inuit children lived in a lone parent family, rates that are higher than that of their non-Aboriginal peers (14%).

Aboriginal Languages:

Approximately one in six Aboriginal people in Canada are able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language. More Aboriginal people reported that they were able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language than reported an Aboriginal mother tongue. This implies that a number of Aboriginal people have acquired an Aboriginal language as a second language. In Alberta, 45 per cent of First Nations people living on reserve reported the ability to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language, a rate higher than among off-reserve First Nations people (13 per cent), Métis (4 per cent) and Inuit (8 per cent).

Post Secondary Qualifications

In 2011, 47 per cent of Aboriginal people aged 25 to 64 in Alberta had a certificate, diploma or degree from a trade school, college or university: 40 per cent of First Nations people, 53%of Métis and 52 per cent of Inuit. The comparable percentage for their non-Aboriginal counterparts was 65 per cent. Among those with postsecondary credentials, First Nations people, Métis and Inuit were more likely than non-Aboriginals to have completed trades or college programs than university programs. In 2011, 39 per cent of First Nations people aged 25 to 64, 23% of Métis and 24 per cent of Inuit did not have a certificate, diploma or degree. The corresponding percentage for the non-Aboriginal population was 11%.

Employment Rates

In 2011, the employment rates for First Nations people, Métis and Inuit aged 25 to 64 in Alberta who did not have a certificate, diploma or degree were 40.5 per cent, 56.9 per cent and 68.2 per cent respectively. Employment rates were higher for those with further education. For example, among those with postsecondary credentials, the employment rate for First Nations people was 71.4%, while that of Métis was 80.5 per cent and that of Inuit, 84.4 per cent.

Living Conditions

Although First Nations people in Canada are making many positive strides, there is still a long way to go to eliminate the disparities between them and most Canadians. Many reserves are small, remote and deficient in resources. The average life expectancy of First Nations people is five to ten years below the Canadian average. According to the Centre For Policy Alternatives, 2013 Report, half of Status First Nations children in Canada live in poverty, which is triple that of non-Indigenous children. No two communities are the same. Differences in geographic location (urban, rural or isolated) combined with access to economic development mean that economic disparities exist among First Nations and Inuit communities. Leaders are implementing many initiatives to improve living conditions on reserves. The goal is to increase their standard of living to Canadian standards in all communities.

Alberta Teachers’ Association (2002). Education is our buffalo: a teachers’ resource for First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education in Alberta. Edmonton: Alberta Teacher’s Association. (970.4123 Edu)