37
A total of 4.8 per cent of the Aboriginal population in 2001 resided in one of the three
territories, compared to only 0.3 per cent of the total population. Only 9.0 per cent of the
Aboriginal population lived in Quebec and 20.1 per cent in Ontario, a much lower proportion
than could be expected given the large proportion of the Canadian population in these provinces
(23.8 and 38.4 per cent respectively).
In term of the individual provinces and territories, Aboriginals are the most highly
concentrated in Nunavut, where they represented 84.3 per cent of the population in 2001 (Chart 6
and Table 2). The Aboriginal share was 50.5 per cent in the Northwest Territories and 23.9 per
cent in Yukon. The two provinces that had the greatest concentration of Aboriginals were
Manitoba and Saskatchewan, each with around 14 per cent of their population. Alberta‘s
population was composed of 5.5 per cent of Aboriginal Canadians, and British Columbia 4.4 per
cent. Atlantic provinces had 2.4 per cent of their population as Aboriginals, while Ontario and
Quebec had 1.8 and 1.3 per cent, respectively.
In most provinces and territories, the Aboriginal population is composed mostly of North
American Indians and Metis. However, almost all of Nunavut‘s population is Inuit. The other
two provinces with a high proportion of Inuits are Quebec and Newfoundland, with some also
living in the Northwest Territories.
B. The Educational Attainment of Aboriginal Canadians
It was shown earlier in the report that education was an important determinant of income,
labour market outcomes and other indicators of well-being. In particular, higher educational
attainment was associated with higher income, lower unemployment, higher labour market
participation, lower chances of being involved in crime, and better overall health. This section
examines the level of educational attainment of Aboriginal Canadians in relation to the level
attained by non-Aboriginal Canadians.
i. Situation in 2001
Aboriginal individuals on average had a lower educational attainment in 2001 than their
non-Aboriginal counterparts. Slightly over half (52.2 per cent) of Aboriginal Canadians had
completed high school, compared to 69.1 per cent of non-Aboriginal Canadians (Table 3).
The high school completion rate of individuals aged 25 to 34 years old is a good indicator
of future completion rates as it reflects the educational attainment of the youngest 10-year cohort
that can be expected to have completed high school. In 2001, 65.6 per cent of the Aboriginal
population in this age group had completed high school compared to 44.0 per cent for the 55-64
age group, High school completion is thus higher for younger age cohorts (Chart 7a).