Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a prepared text I will read from. It's not usually my style. I usually speak from the hip and ad lib my speeches, but for the record, and on behalf of the Métis National Council, I will read some segments on issues that we believe may be of help to this committee and at the same time will send a message on our priorities.
Thank you for inviting us to make a presentation elaborating upon what role the federal government should play in fighting poverty in Canada. Parliament and the Government of Canada have direct, specific, and substantial responsibilities to improve socio-economic conditions for aboriginal people, including the Métis--and I emphasize “including the Métis”.
These responsibilities flow from a variety of sources, not just subsection 91(24) of the Constitution Act of 1867. There's also the responsibility to make the functioning of the Canadian economic union as successful as possible. A successful economy depends on productive, contributing Métis citizens. Canadians cannot afford, either nationally or in their regions and communities, to see Métis people lag behind. As taxpayers to both levels of government, we envisage a strong role for the federal government that goes beyond providing tax credits or reducing taxes for working class Métis Canadians.
These measures, as successful as they may be for some, do not go far enough for the Métis and the needs of the large number of Métis people who live below the poverty line. Many of the Métis people who live below the poverty line are either young families or families who have more than three children. It is interesting to note that the 20th anniversary of the unanimous all-party resolution in the House of Commons to end child poverty by 2000 has just passed. Yet according to the 2006 census, 32% of Métis children under the age of six were in low-income families, compared to 18% of non-aboriginal children. According to the 2006 census, 32% of young Métis children were living in families with three or more children, compared to 25% of non-aboriginal children. Métis children in rural areas were more likely to live in families with three or more children than Métis children in urban areas--39% versus 30%. Yet the percentage of Métis children living in low-income families was higher in urban areas than in rural areas--36% compared to 20%.
In 2005, the median income of the Métis in Canada was lower than that of the non-aboriginal population. Indeed, it was about $5,000 less than the median income of $25,955 reported for the non-aboriginal population.