4 - Young Aboriginal Children in Canada – An Overview ⁵²

aborignial woman and child

Aboriginal ⁵³ children represent a precious resource through which Aboriginal communities and cultures can be sustained into the future. Yet relatively little is known about the health and development of young Aboriginal children in Canada. In particular, comprehensive national data concerning Aboriginal children are not readily available, especially for young children. For example, the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), which is the key source for much of the data presented in this report, does not include a representative sample of Aboriginal children. This chapter outlines what is known about the circumstances of young Aboriginal children using the most recent data available. It also identifies gaps in the understanding of the well-being of these children.

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Potential Data Sources for Information on Young Aboriginal Children

The Census of Canada is the primary source of information for the Aboriginal population, providing basic demographic data such as age, gender, language knowledge and mobility. The census also provides information on the characteristics of the households and families within which Aboriginal children live.

The Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), conducted in 1991, provides limited information concerning Aboriginal children’s use or knowledge of Aboriginal languages as well as their health status. A second APS was conducted in 2001. Those individuals reporting Aboriginal identity, Aboriginal ancestry, Registered or treaty Indian status or Band membership on the 2001 Census formed the basis for the sample. The Survey includes a children and youth questionnaire, which collects information on such issues as general health, health care utilization, social activities and relationships, and child care arrangements. It is hoped that this survey will yield some valuable information on the health and development of young Aboriginal children. Data will become available beginning late in 2003.

Health and developmental information was collected as part of the First Nations and Inuit Regional Health Survey, which was conducted on reserves across Canada in 1997. Although this survey provides some health and developmental indicators for children, it is not overly detailed and covers only part of the Aboriginal identity population (those living on reserve).

Data concerning registered Indians are also maintained by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, covering topics such as age and gender, education, access to social services, and others. This information is mostly concerned with registered Indians living on reserve, and little information is available regarding young Aboriginal children.

The Aboriginal population has a high proportion of young children

In 1996, there were 117,355 children between birth and age 5 for whom Aboriginal identity was reported. This represented about 15% of the total population with Aboriginal ancestry. Of these children, 32% (37,365) lived on reserve and 68% (79,990) lived off reserve. Of those living off reserve, 33,620 lived in rural areas, 15,965 lived in smaller cities (10,000 to 100,000 population) and 30,405 lived in large cities.

In the past, the Aboriginal population has grown rapidly, but this growth is expected to slow down during the period between 2001 and 2016. Between 1991 and 1996, the number of Aboriginal children from birth to 4 years of age grew by more than 10,000, or about 12%.⁵⁴ However, the Aboriginal population within this age group is expected to be smaller in 2016 than it was in 1991.⁵⁵ The birth rate among the Aboriginal population remains relatively high. For example, among the registered Indian ⁵⁶population, the birth rate was estimated at 28 per 1,000 in 1993 compared to 15 per 1,000 among the general population in 1993. ⁵⁷

Young Aboriginal children often live in lone-parent families

In 1996, about 28% of Aboriginal children from birth to age 5 lived in lone-parent families. On reserves and in rural areas, the proportion of Aboriginal children living in lone-parent households was smaller, while in cities the proportion exceeded 40%.

Young Aboriginal children have a variety of living arrangements

In 1996, approximately 12% of Aboriginal children from birth to age 5 were not living with their parents. Most of these children were living with other relatives.⁵⁸

The majority of young Aboriginal children live in low-income families

In 1996, 58% of Aboriginal children from birth to age 5 were living in low-income families (based on the pre-tax low-income cut-off). The average income of Aboriginal lone-parent families is especially low. In 1995, Aboriginal female lone-parent families with children had an average annual income of about $16,000. Seventy percent of Aboriginal lone mothers identified government transfer payments as their major source of income. ⁵⁹

Young Aboriginal children experience high rates of mortality, injury and disability

In 1999, the infant mortality rate for First Nations populations was 1.5 times higher than that of other children in Canada.⁶⁰In addition, the rate of deaths from injuries is 3 to 4 times higher for Aboriginal children than for other children in Canada.⁶¹ Persistent high levels of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have also been documented among Aboriginal children.⁶²

The rate of severe disabilities among Aboriginal children living on reserves is much higher than for those living off reserve and more than twice as high as the rate for non-Aboriginal children.⁶³ Aboriginal children also have high rates of allergies, bronchitis and asthma.⁶⁴

More than half of registered Indian children living on reserves are breastfed

Based on the 1997 Regional First Nations and Inuit Health Survey, 54% of Aboriginal children less than 1 year of age had been or were being breastfed. More than half of these children were breastfed for more than 7 months.⁶⁵

Young Aboriginal children are affected by substance use

While there is a lack of comparable data on the use of alcohol and tobacco by mothers of young Aboriginal children compared to mothers of non-Aboriginal children, anecdotal evidence suggests that this is an issue for this group of children. In particular, use of alcohol by pregnant mothers is believed to pose a significant challenge in some Aboriginal communities. Based on scattered local and regional surveys, the incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and effects (FAS/FAE) is believed to be much higher among Aboriginal children than among non-Aboriginal children, although no definitive statistics are available.⁶⁶

Highlights

This chapter provides a brief sketch of children from birth to 5 years of age with Aboriginal identity:

The number of young Aboriginal children in Canada has been increasing but is expected to stabilize at its present level of about 120,000.
68% of young Aboriginal children live off reserve.
28% of young Aboriginal children live in lone-parent families.
12% of young Aboriginal children live with relatives other than their parents.
58% of young Aboriginal children live in low-income families.
The infant mortality rate for the Aboriginal population is 1.5 times higher than the non-Aboriginal population.
Aboriginal children experience high rates of some types of health problems, including injuries, disabilities and respiratory problems.
Over 50% of young Aboriginal children had been previously or were being breastfed.

52. Acknowledgement for the development of this chapter is extended to Jeremy Hull of Prologica Research.

53. Using census data there are two broad ways of defining the Aboriginal population - those with Aboriginal ancestry and those with Aboriginal identity. In 1996, there were 1.1 million people in Canada with Aboriginal ancestry, compared to 800,000 identifying themselves as Aboriginal. In this chapter “Aboriginal” refers to the population defined by Aboriginal identity except where otherwise noted.
In addition, the census distinguishes among major social groups such as North American Indian, Métis and Inuit, and allows for the identification of specific ancestry groups such as Cree, Haida, Iroquois and many others.
While recognizing that the Aboriginal population is not a homogenous group, for the purposes of this chapter the data presented are generalized to the entire Aboriginal population, in particular to address the challenges associated with small sample sizes.

54.Calculated from Statistics Canada, Age and Sex (Aboriginal Data 1991), Ottawa, 1993 and Statistics Canada Nation Series, 1996 Census, Table 25-003.

55. Norris, M.J., Kerr, D. and Nault, F. (September 1996). RoyalCommission on Aboriginal Peoples, Projections of the Population with Aboriginal Identity, Canada, 1991–2016; Summary Report. Ottawa: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

56. The registered Indian population is made up of those who are eligible for registration under the Indian Act.

57. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (December 2001), Aboriginal Women: A Profile from the 1996 Census. Ottawa: Government of Canada.

58. See Statistics Canada, Nation Series, 1996 Census, “Aboriginal Population in Private Households by Age and Sex, Showing Census Family Status for Canada, the Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1996 Census.” (Table 25-003) This table shows that 9,875 of 12,615 children from birth to 4 years of age who were not in Census Families were living with relatives.

59. Hull, Jeremy (June 7, 2001) Aboriginal Single Mothers in Canada, 1996. Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Research and Analysis Directorate.

60. Government of Canada (2002) Healthy Canadians – A Federal Report on Comparable Health Indicators 2002. Ottawa: Health Canada.

61. Ibid.

62. Canadian Institute of Child Health. (2000). The Health of Canada’s Children - Third Edition. Ottawa: Canadian Institute of Child Health.

63. Ibid.

64. MacMillan, H. et al. “Chapter 1 - Children’s Health.” First Nations and Inuit Regional Health Survey: National Report. Ottawa: Health Canada.

65. Ibid.

66. Canadian Institute of Child Health (2000). The Health of Canada’s Children - Third Edition. Ottawa: Canadian Institute of Child Health.