Evidence of meeting #34 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was 2006.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Yvon Lévesque Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Does that mean that tomorrow morning I can declare that I am of aboriginal descent?
Senior Research Manager, Research and Analysis Directorate, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
That is correct.
Bloc
Senior Research Manager, Research and Analysis Directorate, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The answers are accepted at face value, they are not manipulated. That is why four indicators are used: origin, self-identification, registration in the Indian register and membership in a band. By combining these aboriginal dimensions, we can create more precise figures.
By the way, this means that Statistics Canada, in terms of its counting and listing of aboriginal populations, is really unique in the world in the quality and effort that they devote to truly defining who is aboriginal, and this is done from every possible angle.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Nancy Karetak-Lindell
Thank you very much.
We'll now move to Ms. Crowder, please. Seven minutes.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Thanks for coming today.
I may have to suddenly leave, because I'm speaking some time shortly.
I have a couple of questions.
You talked about the fact that these statistics are very important because they often drive policy decisions. In your presentation, Mr. Guimond, you talked about the number of reserves where either the data was suppressed because of the low coverage or because of the number of reserves where there was no enumeration taking place. Do we have any sense of two things: one, the number of people who are included in those reserves where there is no enumeration; and two, the number of people, where enumeration does take place, who actually choose not to participate? Because you're not enumerating, you probably don't know, but there must be some sense of the percentages.
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Yes, we do have that information. We have an estimate for what we call incompletely enumerated reserves. It was, I think, about 37,000 in 2006.
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Incompletely enumerated, yes. There are two things that may happen here: we normally ask to go on reserve and we're refused, or we may get on and then we're asked to leave. That's why we call them incompletely enumerated. The estimate is about 37,000.
In terms of where we may not release full information--what Mr. Guimond has talked about in terms of the number of reserves--we do usually have a population count for those. It's not that we may not get any information on those first nations communities or reserves, but we may not get the complete information. We may not get their characteristics, but we should get a population count. So we do have that information. We may not get the full census information, but it's degrees about which we have information on these other—
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Yes, it's door to door on-reserve, and it's 100%. Usually in the census for other areas we'll do a sample of one in five, but when we're in remote areas in the north and on-reserve, it's 100%, and it's door to door.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Because I'm not a statistician, I will ask this: I have this document entitled Aboriginal Peoples in Canada 2006. Wherever it refers to aboriginal peoples throughout this, does that mean that you're talking about this group of people you're outlining?
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
So everywhere it says “aboriginal”, it includes the whole population.
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Yes, that's the whole population.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
So when comparing aboriginal census data over time—it's page 9, if you have the document—where they're saying “data showing changes in percentages and proportions between censuses have been adjusted to account”, can you tell me what that means?
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
We have many questions on this.
What it means is that we don't adjust for that 37,000, so we haven't done that adjustment. But when we compare, let's say, the 1996 census and 2006 census, we take only those reserves that participated. So that's the base—
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
That's right, only on the comparative data.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
So when you're not doing comparative, when you're only looking at 2006, do you extrapolate from the information that you have, to include the 37,000?
Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
No, we don't even do that.
NDP
Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
So if there are parts of the country where people simply don't participate, there could be a significant piece of information missing, because the characteristics of those populations could be different from those of the rest of Canada.
