Some facts and figures about Canada’s hundreds of thousands of Metis people

By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA – Metis organizations in British Columbia are embroiled in a bitter dispute that has made its way to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Here are some facts and figures about the Metis:

— The Metis are one of three distinct Aboriginal Peoples of Canada recognized under the Constitution, along with First Nations and the Inuit;

— In 2011, 451,795 people identified as Metis. They represented 32.3 per cent of the total aboriginal population, and 1.4 per cent of Canada’s total population;

— Metis make up 8 per cent of the total population of the Northwest Territories, 6.7 per cent of Manitoba and 5.2 per cent of Saskatchewan;

— Winnipeg is the city with the largest population of Metis, with 46,325 people, or 6.5 per cent of its total population;

— There are also 31,780 Metis in Edmonton, 18,485 in Vancouver, 17,040 in Calgary, 11,520 in Saskatoon and 9,980 in Toronto;

— Nearly 85 per cent of people who identify themselves as Metis live in the western provinces or Ontario;

— As of February 2013, aboriginal people made up 23.2 per cent of inmates in federal prisons. Of the roughly 3,400 aboriginal offenders in federal penitentiaries, about 71 per cent are First Nation, 24 per cent are Metis and 5 per cent are Inuit;

— The median age of Metis is 31. That’s the oldest of the three aboriginal groups, behind the Inuit with a median age of 23 and First Nations with a median age of 26;

SOURCES

Statistics Canada National Household Surveyhttp://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-eng.cfm

Office of the Correctional Investigatorhttp://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/oth-aut/oth-aut20121022info-eng.aspx

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