Too many Aboriginal children live in poverty

The latest statics on child poverty released by the province indicate that Aboriginal children are included in the group most vulnerable to experience poverty and financial insecurity. Thirty per cent of Aboriginal children and 21.2 per cent of visible minority children aged five to 18 years live in poverty. Aboriginal (at 19.2 per cent) and visible minority (at 15.8 per cent) individuals have a higher low-income rate than the general population at  9.1 per cent. Almost one in three (29.7 per cent) Aboriginal individuals in Alberta does not have a high school diploma and Aboriginals without a high school diploma have a low-income rate of 24.3 per cent. The low-income rate of university-educated Aboriginals is slightly lower than the provincial average, at 8.7 per cent. Research demonstrates that children in poverty experience significant challenges including poorer health outcomes, learning difficulties, academic underachievement, lower literacy rates, a decreased likelihood of completing high school and post-secondary education, increased exposure to violence, and lower incomes as working adults.