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Indigenous Migration in Canada, 2006–2011

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Abstract

Using data from the 2011 National Household Survey 5-year migration question, we examined the migration of First Nations, Inuit and Métis between communities. Migration into and out of First Nations Reserves, small urban and rural areas, and Census metropolitan areas was estimated, as was migration into and out of Inuit Nunangat. We found that 5-year migration rates decreased in 2011 compared to previous census periods for Status First Nations, Inuit and Métis, but increased for non-Status First Nations. We also found that First Nations communities continued to be net gainers of Status First Nations migration.

Résumé

À l'aide des données de l'Enquête nationale auprès des ménages de 2011, nous avons examiné la migration intercommunautaire chez les Premières Nations, les Inuits et les Métis. Nous avons estimé la migration en provenance et en direction des réserves des Premières nations, des petites régions urbaines et rurales et des régions métropolitaines, de même que la migration en provenance et en direction de l'Inuit Nunangat. Nos résultats indiquent que les taux de migration quinquennaux ont diminué par rapport aux périodes de recensement précédentes pour les membres inscrits des Premières nations, les Inuits et les Métis, mais qu’ils ont augmenté pour les autochtones non-inscrits. Les communautés des réserves des Premières nations continuent d'être les gagnants nets du flux migratoires des Premières nations inscrites.

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Notes

  1. The term “Indigenous” has come to be preferred to “Aboriginal” as a term to refer to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. However, to be consistent with the terminology used in the Statistics Canada classifications and the 2011 NHS questions, we use “Aboriginal” when referring to the population identifying as First Nations, Inuit or Métis in the census or NHS.

  2. Inuit Nunangat refers to the Inuit homelands of Inuvialuit (western Arctic), the territory of Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador).

  3. An Indian Reserve or Settlement is land set aside by the Crown for the use of a First Nation.

  4. We use the term “Status First Nations” to refer to those who are registered under the Indian Act of Canada, and who are elsewhere referred to as “Registered Indians.” “Non-Status First Nations” refers to those who identify culturally as First Nations but who are not registered under the Act.

  5. A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is a city with an urban population of 100,000 or more and a core population of 50,000 or more.

  6. The federal department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has since been dissolved, and replaced with two departments, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada.

  7. Note that the differences between these definitions and those used elsewhere, such as those that use Aboriginal identity only (e.g., Statistics Canada 2014), lead to different estimates of the size of these populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Waterloo, 200 University Drive W, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Martin Cooke

  2. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Gatineau, Canada

    Christopher Penney

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  1. Martin Cooke
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  2. Christopher Penney
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Correspondence to Martin Cooke.

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Cooke, M., Penney, C. Indigenous Migration in Canada, 2006–2011. Can. Stud. Popul. 46, 121–143 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42650-019-00011-w

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