Census says . . .

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The 1996 Canadian census has revealed persistent patterns of disadvantage for Aboriginal peoples; however, the situation has improved somewhat since the 1991 census. This article compares the results of the 1996 census with the 1991 census to illustrate the economic situation experienced by Aboriginal peoples and show where disadvantage has increased and improvements realized. We were able to examine four different lgeographic areas: Canada, Ontario, Toronto and Vancouver. In addition, male and female differences will be highlighted.

We examined three measures of economic wellbeing: rate of unemployment, average earned income (in constant 1995 dollars) and poverty (as measured by the low-income cut off level or LICO). This measure of poverty is a complex measure involving family size and size of geographic area of residence. Constant dollars are used to compare income by taking into account changes in prices and wages.

Aboriginal population levels have generally doubled since 1991, yet both the unemployment rates and the wage gap between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals remain stable. Poverty levels, however, have dramatically decreased - fewer people are living in poverty.

Aboriginal peoples earn two-thirds of the average national income of non-Aboriginal peoples. This represents a marginal improvement over 1991, when Aboriginals earned 61 per cent of that earned by non-Aboriginals. However, when constant dollars are compared for 1991 and 1996, Aboriginal peoples obtained a real increase in income of approximately five per cent, compared with a decrease of approximately 2.5 per cent for non-Aboriginal peoples. This indicates some success of policies and programs targeted to reduce income differentials between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.

Unemployment rates have not changed significantly since the 1991 census. They continue to be approximately 250 per cent higher than the national average. Aboriginal men experience slightly higher rates of unemployment compared with Aboriginal women.

While still higher than the national average, levels of poverty among Aboriginal peoples have fallen since the 1991 census. In the 1996 census, Aboriginal poverty levels dropped from 300 per cent above the national average to 40 per cent above the national average. Aboriginal peoples however continue to live with poverty levels higher than the national average.

Although Ontario is home to 37 per cent of Canada's total population, it comprises almost 20 per cent of Canada's Native population.

Unemployment rates are almost 250 per cent higher than the Ontario average for non-Aboriginal peoples. This situation remains relatively constant compared with 1991.

The income situation for Ontario Aboriginals is almost identical to Aboriginals throughout Canada. Aboriginal people in Ontario continue to earn just over two-thirds the wages earned by their non-Aboriginal counterparts, however this represents an improvement over the 1991 situation. In terms of constant dollars, Inuit people in Toronto had a real decrease in earnings of over 30 per cent. In other words, their income situation has dramatically worsened from 1991 to 1996.

Similar to the national situation, levels of poverty have shrunk since 1991, however. More Aboriginals in Ontario live in poverty compared with the average for Ontario - over 150 per cent more.

Only 12.5 per cent of Ontario's Aboriginal peoples reside in Ontario.

For those who do, their economic situation is improving. Aboriginal average incomes are still approximately 77 per cent of those of non-Aboriginals. This represents an increase over 74 per cent in 1991. The income gap is shrinking; albeit, slowly. However, when constant dollars are compared, incomes for male Aboriginals have decreased between 1991 and 1996 while they increased for female Aboriginals during the same time period.

In terms of unemployment rates, Aboriginal peoples continue to have higher rates than non-Aboriginals. When the uneployment rates are broken down by gender, male Aboriginals had an increase of 12 per cent, while the unemployment rate for non-Aboriginal men, remained relatively constant from 1991 to 1996. The unemployment rate for Aboriginal women decreased from 1991 to 1996, yet it is still almost four per cent higher than the female average for the Toronto CMA.

Aboriginal poverty rates are 60 per cent higher than the average, yet this is an improvement over 1991, where Aboriginal poverty rates were more than double the Toronto average rate.

This suggests that programs and policies need to be examined and/or targeted to male Aboriginals within Toronto area, since this is the only region in Canada where men experienced a real decrease in earnings and a significant increase in unemployment rates.

In general, Aboriginal peoples earn more in the Vancouver area than in the other three geographic areas examined. They earn approximately 70 per cent of the wage of the average non-Aboriginal. However, rates of unemployment are more than double the average for this area.

There are significant differences in poverty levels. Aboriginal peoples have poverty levels almost 200 per cent higher than average. This situation remains unchanged since 1991.

What this means is that the comparative situation has worsened for Aboriginals living in Vancouver, because levels of poverty are higher in comparison to Aboriginals living in the other three geographic regions, where poverty rates have decreased. Similarly, the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal unemployment rates is wider in the Vancouver area than in the other three geographic areas examined.

There has been little change in the face of economic hardship experienced by Aboriginal peoples since 1991. While levels of poverty have decreased, they are still significantly higher than average. The "economic downturn" of the early 1990s has not been reversed.

oUnemployment rates remain almost constant from 1991 to 1996. These rates reman higher for Aboriginals compared with non-Aboriginals.

oIncome levels remain lower than those for non-Aboriginals, although the gap is shrinking.

There are few significant gender differences found in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Women, in general, earn less, have lower levels of unemployment and higher levels of poverty when compared with men. Female Aboriginals, however, experience the "double disadvantage" of being both female and Native.