2011 census: Aboriginal population balloons to 1.4M, reports Statistics Canada

First Nations peoples are seen on Parliament Hill during an Idle No More demonstration in Ottawa Jan 28, 2013. Andre Forget/QMI Agency

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OTTAWA - A ballooning population of aboriginal Canadians reached 1.4 million in 2011, or 4.3% of the total population, according to new numbers released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday.

The data, collected through the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS) in 2011, shows Canada's aboriginal population increased at a faster pace than the non-aboriginal population -- swelling by 20.1% between 2006 and 2011, compared to a 5.2% increase for the rest of the Canadian population.

A breakdown of the new figures shows First Nations people made up 2.6% of Canada's population in 2011, while Metis comprised 1.4% and Inuit 0.2%.

Ontario was the province where the largest number of aboriginal people lived, while nearly six in 10 aboriginal people - 57.6% - lived in one of the four western provinces.

The aboriginal population is also younger than the non-aboriginal population, with a median age of 28 years old, according to the data.

Children aged 14 and under also accounted for 28% of the aboriginal population, compared to 16.5% of the non-aboriginal population.

Almost half of Canada's foster care population, among children aged 14 and under, were aboriginal children in 2011. Of the 30,000 children represented in this group, 48.1% were aboriginal.

In 2011, 3.6% of aboriginal children were foster children compared with 0.3% of non-aboriginal children.

This is the first release of data from the NHS. The survey replaced the long-form census despite loud cries from opposition parties and critics, including statisticians.

kristy.kirkup@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @kkirkup

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/08/2011-census-aboriginal-population-balloons-to-14m-statistics-canada

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