Canada's Aboriginal Population Hits One Million

Jan 16, 11:45 AM

Canada's aboriginal population hits one million

OTTAWA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The aboriginal population in Canadahas surpassed one million, growing nearly six times faster than the rest of the population, according to 2006 census data releasedTuesday.

In total, 1,172,790 people reported aboriginal identity, falling into three groups, namely North American Indian (First Nations people), Metis and Inuit, Statistics Canada said in a report.

Between 1996 and 2006, the aboriginal population increased by 45 percent, nearly six times faster than the 8 percent rate of growth for the non-aboriginal population.

In 1996 there were 799,010 aboriginal people registered by the census and in 2001 there were 976,305.

The Metis population almost doubled between 1996 and 2006, reaching an estimated 389,785 people, constituting the fastest population growth.

There was a 29 percent increase in the First Nations population,which grew to 698,025 people. The Inuit population grew 26 percentto 50,485.

The report attributed the growth to high birth rates, more individuals identifying themselves as aboriginal as well as the reduction in the number of incompletely enumerated Indian reserves.