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" In 2009, the average employment rate for Aboriginal people was 57.0%, compared with 61.8% for non-Aboriginal people. The gap in employment widened to 4.8 percentage points from 3.5 percentage points in 2008. "

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Even before the 2008-2009 recession, Aboriginal people-North American Indian (or First Nations people), Métis and Inuit-had a harder time finding work and faced higher unemployment than non-Aboriginal people. The gap widened following the downturn, as Aboriginal people aged 15 and older (excluding those living on reserves or in the territories) experienced sharper declines in employment rates than non-Aboriginal people did.

In 2009, the average employment rate for Aboriginal people was 57.0%, compared with 61.8% for non-Aboriginal people. The gap in employment widened to 4.8 percentage points from 3.5 percentage points in 2008.

At the same time, the unemployment rate rose sharply for Aboriginal people, rising from 10.4% in 2008 to 13.9%. The rate for non-Aboriginal people rose from 6.0% to 8.1%.

Among Aboriginal people, the top employer of core-age workers (aged 25 to 54) in 2009 was the health and social assistance industry, followed by trade, construction and manufacturing. For non-Aboriginal people, trade was the top employer for core-age workers, followed by manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and professional, scientific and technical services.

In 2009, nearly 15% of employed core-age Aboriginal people worked in the health care and social assistance industry. Aboriginal employment in this industry increased by 12% or 4,000 jobs from 2008, outstripping the 2% increase in this industry among non-Aboriginal people.

Larger job losses among Aboriginal people

Canada's manufacturing industry posted the largest employment losses during 2009. Among non-Aboriginal manufacturing workers in the core-age group, employment declined by 8% or 14,000 jobs, with the bulk of the jobs lost in Ontario. At the same time, manufacturing employment among their Aboriginal counterparts fell by 30% or 7,000 jobs, with jobs mostly lost in the Western provinces.

In the construction industry, Aboriginal employment fell by 16% or 4,000 jobs, while it decreased by 5% or 45,000 jobs among non-Aboriginal workers.

Young workers hit by labour downturn

The labour market downturn had an especially large impact on young people (aged 15 to 24). From 2008 to 2009, the employment rate for Aboriginal youth (excluding those on reserves) fell by 6.8 percentage points, compared with a decline of 4.2 percentage points among non-Aboriginal youth. Both decreases were much larger than the employment losses experienced by core-age workers over this period.

In 2009, the employment rate was 45.1% for Aboriginal youth, whereas it was 55.6% for their non-Aboriginal counterparts.

While the period was a turbulent one in the labour market for youth and core-age adults, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people aged 55 and older were finding jobs, and so their employment rate increased slightly.

Core-age Aboriginal people in British Columbia and Alberta, two of the provinces hardest hit by the downturn, experienced more pronounced changes in their employment and unemployment rates than did their counterparts in other provinces.

In Alberta, the employment rate among core-age Aboriginal people fell from 75.1% in 2008 to 69.5% in 2009, more than double the drop seen among non-Aboriginal people. In British Columbia, the core-age employment rate among Aboriginal people fell to 65.1%, a drop of 5.6 percentage points and the lowest rate for Aboriginal people among all the provinces.

Education matters in the labour market

Educational attainment also played a role both before and during the downturn. Aboriginal people who had completed postsecondary education were not as affected: their employment rate declined to 79.4%, down 1.8 percentage points from 2008 to 2009. The employment rate for Aboriginal people with less than a high school diploma fell by 5.5 percentage points to 47.7%. Those with a high school diploma and some postsecondary education fared better, as their employment rate declined by 3.3 percentage points to 66.3%.

The employment rate among non-Aboriginal people with a completed postsecondary education was higher than that of their Aboriginal counterparts, but the decline in their employment rate was comparable at 1.5 percentage points.

View data source for chart 1.1

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View the most recent version. [an error occurred while processing this directive]11-402-x[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Even before the 2008-2009 recession, Aboriginal people-North American Indian (or First Nations people), Métis and Inuit-had a harder time finding work and faced higher unemployment than non-Aboriginal people.

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" Aboriginal women 15 years and older are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence than non-Aboriginal women. "

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Our Knowledge Centre serves as a hub for resources that will enhance, promote, and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people.

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A new report from Statistics Canada shows unemployed Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting job losses from businesses being forced to close.

Figures from December 2019 to February 2020 show the Indigenous unemployment rate at 10 per cent while it was just 5.5 per cent for non-Indigenous people.

That jumped more than six percentage points for both groups between February and May.

Indigenous unemployment shot up to 16.6 per cent while non-Indigenous sat at 11.7 per cent.

When businesses started to reopen across the country, unemployment fell for non-Indigenous groups between May and August to 11.2 per cent but rose for Indigenous people to 16.8 per cent.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations ( FSIN) feels as if Ottawa ignored their concerns, especially a $9-billion funding request at the start of the pandemic only offering a fraction of that.

"When they were announcing COVID-19 relief funds for reopening the economy and things like that, we First Nations were at the bottom of the barrel," Chief Bobby Cameron told Global News, adding he thought the federal government failed First Nations.

Kelly Foley, a University of Saskatchewan economics professor, said disadvantaged people in the labour market disproportionately suffer in this kind of economic climate.

"I do believe they come from a lot of the same structural barriers that were preventing Indigenous people from finding employment even before the pandemic occurred," Foley said.

She added those hurdles include education levels, living in remote parts of the country and discrimination.

Cameron said all stakeholders, including the government, business community and Indigenous leaders, need to be involved in order to address the higher unemployment rates.

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Unemployed Indigenous workers disproportionately suffering from COVID-19 economy compared to non-Indigenous | Globalnews.ca

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A new report from Statistics Canada shows unemployed Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting job losses from businesses being forced to close. Figures from December 2019 to February 2020 show the Indigenous unemployment rate at 10 per cent while it was just 5.5 per cent for non-Indigenous people.

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In June to August 2020, the unemployement rate for Indigenous was 16.8% and 11.2 for non-Indigenous.

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View the most recent version.

Release date: November 2, 2020

Text begins

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant health and socio-economic impacts on First Nations people, Métis, Inuit and non-Indigenous populations, and has caused an unprecedented downturn in employment and hours worked across Canada.

Recent research based on crowdsourcing data collection initiatives has indicated disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous participants, including on their mental health and on their ability to meet financial obligations or essential needs (Arriagada et al., 2020b, 2020c). Indigenous women, in particular, have reported stronger negative impacts. The disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on Indigenous people can be linked to pre-existing vulnerabilities, including long-lasting and persistent disparities in socio-economic conditions (Arriagada et al., 2020a).

Prior research further showed that labour market impacts of the 2008/2009 recession were greater for Indigenous people than for non-Indigenous people, with the downturn lasting longer and the recovery being slower (Moyser, 2017; Usalcas, 2011). In this context, the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic could be greater for Indigenous people as well.

This paper uses monthly data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to examine the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous people from March to August 2020. Trends in employment, unemployment and labour force participation are examined by Indigenous identity as well as by sex and age group.

To reduce sampling variability, data are averaged across separate three-month periods, starting with the three-month period ending in February 2020, before most measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 were implemented, and ending in the three-month period ending in August 2020, six months into the pandemic. Data are also compared on a year-over-year basis, as they are not seasonally adjusted.

The LFS provides the timeliest data available on labour market characteristics of Indigenous people in Canada. It should be noted, however, that the LFS is not conducted on reserve, uses a different methodology to survey the Territories and does not include some remote communities. Because of these limitations, data in this report refer to Indigenous people living off reserve in the provinces.

Because of sample size and coverage limitations, it was not possible to provide detailed analysis separately for First Nations people, Métis and Inuit. However, summary labour market indicators for First Nations people living off reserve and Métis are presented in the appendix.

Similar initial decreases in employment among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, but more recent trends have differed

There were more than 60,000 fewer Indigenous people employed in the three months ending in May 2020, compared with the three months ending in February 2020 (Table 1). This lowered the employment rate among Indigenous people living off reserve in the provinces from 57.0% to 50.7%. Employment then partially rebounded in the three months ending in August 2020, with the employment rate reaching 51.9%, still well short of its pre-pandemic level.

Early employment losses among non-Indigenous people were of a similar scale, with the employment rate falling from 61.2% in the pre-pandemic period to 54.2% during the three months ending in May 2020, before partly rebounding to 58.0% in the three months ending in August 2020.

Thus, while employment among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people initially declined by a similar share, employment among Indigenous people has been slower to recover. Year-over-year, the employment rate in June-August 2020 was down 6.9 points among Indigenous people and down 5.0 points among non-Indigenous people.

﻿

Indigenous

Non-Indigenous

June to August 2019

December 2019 to February 2020

March to May 2020

June to August 2020

June to August 2019

December 2019 to February 2020

March to May 2020

June to August 2020

15 years and over, both sexes

15 years and over, women

15 years and over, men

Increases in unemployment among Indigenous people similar to that of non-Indigenous people, though starting from a higher base

Prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate among Indigenous people was 1.8 times the rate among non-Indigenous people, reflecting long-lasting disparities in labour market conditions. In the three months ending in May 2020, the unemployment rate increased sharply for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It increased by 6.6 percentage points among Indigenous people living off reserve in the provinces, to 16.6%, and by 6.2 percentage points among non-Indigenous people, to 11.7% (Chart 1).

However, in the three months ending in August 2020, the unemployment rate decreased for non-Indigenous people to 11.2%, but was little changed among Indigenous people at 16.8%, further indicating that the recovery has been more challenging for Indigenous people.

Much of the increase in unemployment among Indigenous people was driven by workers being temporarily laid offNote 1. The share of unemployed who reported being temporarily laid off grew from 7% in the pre-pandemic period to 35% in March-May 2020. The share then declined to 17% in June-August, still much higher than typical levels. During the same period in 2019, temporary lay-offs accounted for only 3% of all unemployed. A similar trend was noted among non-Indigenous people.

Data table for Chart 1
﻿

3-month average end date

May-15

Aug-15

Nov-15

Feb-16

May-16

Aug-16

Nov-16

Feb-17

May-17

Aug-17

Nov-17

Feb-18

May-18

Aug-18

Nov-18

Feb-19

May-19

Aug-19

Nov-19

Feb-20

May-20

Aug-20

percent

Indigenous people living off-reserve

13.0

12.4

12.1

13.1

13.6

12.0

11.1

12.4

12.3

11.3

9.9

10.1

10.3

10.7

9.1

11.0

10.8

10.0

9.1

10.0

16.6

16.8

Non-Indigenous population

7.0

6.9

6.3

7.2

7.2

6.9

6.2

6.7

6.7

6.3

5.5

5.8

6.0

6.0

5.2

5.7

5.7

5.7

5.1

5.5

11.7

11.2

Indigenous men and women were similarly impacted in the early months of the pandemic, but labour market conditions have since been more challenging for Indigenous women

Despite similar labour market impacts among Indigenous women and men in the first three months after the start of the pandemic, employment and unemployment levels among Indigenous women have subsequently remained further from their pre-pandemic levels.

From the three-month period ending in February 2020 to the three-month period ending in May 2020, the employment rate declined from 58.5% to 51.7% for Indigenous men and from 55.6% to 49.9% for Indigenous women living off reserve in the provinces. Among Indigenous men, employment then rebounded in the three months ending in August to 55.6%, with the number of employed men reaching 96.5% of its pre-pandemic level (Chart 2).

By contrast, the employment rate for Indigenous women in the three months ending in August further decreased to 48.4%, with the number of employed Indigenous women falling to 88.4% of its pre-pandemic level. Year-over-year employment losses were also greater among women. Compared with the same period in 2019, the employment rate in the three months ending in August 2020 was 7.5 percentage points lower among women, and 6.2 percentage points lower among men.

Gender trends in employment during the pandemic can be driven by labour market conditions, as well as by the extent to which parents adjust their labour force participation as they balance work and family obligations. While the participation rate of Indigenous parents decreased for both men and women during the pandemic, the decline was greater for Indigenous mothers, in part because they are more likely to engage in unpaid work such as caring for children or family members.Note 2

Similarly, unemployment rates in the three months ending in May 2020 increased sharply and by a similar share for both sexes, rising by 6.9 percentage points to 19.5% among men, and by 6.3 percentage points to 13.6% among women. However, the unemployment rate for men decreased by 2.8 points to 16.7% in the following three months (June-August) but increased for women by an additional 3.2 points to 16.8%.

As these trends are not adjusted for seasonality, they may in part reflect differences in seasonal patterns in employment between Indigenous women and men. However, increases in unemployment were also higher for women on a year-over-year basis. Compared with the same period in 2019, the unemployment rate in the three months ending in August 2020 was up by 7.5 percentage points among Indigenous women and was up by 6.2 points among Indigenous men.
These trends are consistent with the socio-economic and labour market disparities between Indigenous men and women documented in previous studies. For example, studies based on the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) showed that employed Métis women less often worked full-time than employed Métis men, and more often reported household income that was insufficient to cover necessary expenses (Hahmann et al., 2019). Similarly, First Nations employed women living off reserve were more likely than men to experience food insecurity, and more often worked part-time for involuntary reasons or to care for family members (Anderson, 2019).

Data table for Chart 2
﻿

Ratio of employment counts (2020)

March to May level as a percentage of December to February level

June to August level as a percentage of December to February level

percent

Sharp increase in unemployment among Indigenous youth reflects challenging summer job market

Youth aged 15 to 24 years are generally disproportionally impacted during economic downturns, with trends in employment and unemployment exhibiting more volatility compared with older workers (Bernard, 2013). For example, previous research has found that Indigenous youth aged 15 to 24 years have been more impacted by the 2008/2009 recession than Indigenous adults aged 25 years or older (Moyser, 2017). A similar finding is seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the challenges faced by Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in the summer job market in 2020.

The unemployment rate among Indigenous youth living off reserve in the provinces was 26.0% in the three months ending in August 2020, up 11.3 percentage points compared with the corresponding period in 2019 (Chart 3). This was the largest increase among all age groups. A similar trend was observed among non-Indigenous youth.

Similarly, in the three months ending in August 2020, the employment rate for youth was 47.1%, 11 percentage points lower than during the same period in 2019. In comparison, the employment rate declined by 4.6 percentage points on a year-over-year basis among adults aged 25 to 54 years and by 4.4 percentage points among those aged 55 years and over.

Data table for Chart 3
﻿

December-February

March-May

June-August

percent

15 years and over

10.0

16.6

16.8

15-24 years

15.7

26.0

26.0

25-54 years

8.2

13.9

13.5

55 years and over

10.4

16.9

16.4

Indigenous people are over-represented in occupations with larger employment declines during the pandemic

In comparison with the same period in 2019, employment among Indigenous people in the three months ending in August 2020 had declined the most among trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (-21,000 or -16%), sales and service occupations (-18,200 or -11%) and occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (-12,100 or -18%). These three occupation groups accounted for 82% of all year-over-year employment losses among Indigenous people.

Together, these occupation groups represented 57% of Indigenous workers and 47% of non-Indigenous workers in the three months ending in August 2020 (Chart 4). Employment declines in these occupations therefore partially explain why the downturn has been more severe among Indigenous people.

Data table for Chart 4
﻿

National Occupation Code (NOC)

Indigenous people living off-reserve

Non-Indigenous population

percent

Summary

Using monthly data from the Labour Force Survey, this paper examined the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous people from March to August 2020.

Although labour market impacts among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people were similar early in the pandemic, recovery up to the three-month period ending in August 2020 has been slower among Indigenous people. Employment and unemployment levels among Indigenous women, in particular, remain further from their pre-pandemic levels compared with Indigenous men. Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth were more greatly impacted compared with older adults, highlighting challenges faced by youth across the country in the summer job market of 2020.

Part of the greater labour market impacts among Indigenous people can be explained by their overrepresentation in certain occupations, such as trades, transport and equipment operators, as well as sales and service occupations, which have accounted for much of the employment declines since the start of the pandemic.

This article is the sixth of a series of releases aimed to inform on the economic, social and health challenges facing Indigenous people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first two releases examined health and social vulnerabilities among those living in rural, remote and northern communities as well as vulnerabilities to socioeconomic impacts among those living in urban areas. Three releases further examined the impacts of the pandemic among Indigenous participants to recent crowdsourcing data collection initiatives, with a focus on mental health, financial vulnerability as well as perceptions of safety, both at home and in public.

Data source

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household survey carried out monthly by Statistics Canada. The objectives of the LFS are to divide the working-age population into three categories in relation to the labour market - employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force - and to allow for characteristics of each of these groups to be examined. Starting in 2004, questions on Indigenous identity have been asked in the territories. In January 2007, these questions were extended to the provinces. Labour market indicators for the Indigenous population have been publically available since the fall of 2008.

Definitions

Employed: Number of persons who, during the reference week, worked for pay or profit, or performed unpaid family work or had a job but were not at work due to own illness or disability, personal or family responsibilities, labour dispute, vacation, or other reason.

Unemployed: Number of persons who, during the reference week, were without work, had looked for work in the past four weeks, and were available for work. Those persons on layoff or who had a new job to start in four weeks or less are considered unemployed.

The participation rate is the number of labour force participants (employed and unemployed) expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over.

The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force.

The employment rate is the number of persons employed expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over.

For more information on concepts and definitions, see the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (Statistics Canada, 2020).

Limitations

As Indigenous people comprise 4.9% of the population (Census, 2016), multiple months of LFS data were combined to decrease sampling variability and to increase data quality. For this paper, three-month averages are used to produce estimates.

Although the LFS does produce data for the territories, a different methodology is used. As a result, estimates for the territories are not included in the national totals published monthly by Statistics Canada, and are not included in the estimates presented in this report.

Moreover, Inuit have a relatively small population of 65,025 (Census, 2016) and as of 2016, over half (52.6%) reside in Nunavut or the Northwest Territories. As such, a large proportion of them are not covered in this analysis and Inuit-specific employment statistics cannot be published from the data used here.

Furthermore, the LFS is not conducted on reserve. As such, estimates in this paper are limited to First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit living in the provinces. Finally, a number of remote and very rural areas in the provinces are not included in the LFS sample. These represent less than 1% of the Canadian population (Guide to the Labour Force Survey, 2020).

References

Anderson, T. (2019). " Employment of First Nations men and women living off reserve". Aboriginal Peoples Survey. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 89-653-X. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-653-x/89-653-x2019004-eng.htm.

Arriagada, P., Hahmann, T. & O'Donnell, V. (2020a). " Indigenous people living in urban areas: Vulnerabilities to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19". StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 45-28-0001. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00023-eng.htm.

Arriagada, P., Hahmann, T. & O'Donnell, V. (2020b). " Indigenous people and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic". StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 45-28-0001. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00035-eng.htm.

Arriagada, P., Frank, K., Hahmann, T. & Hou F. (2020c). " Economic impact of COVID-19 among Indigenous people". StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 45-28-0001. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00052-eng.htm.

Bernard, A. (2013). " Unemployment Dynamics among Canada's Youth". Economic Insights. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11-626-X. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2013024-eng.htm.

Hahmann, T., Robertson, H. & Badets, N. (2019). " Employment characteristics of Métis women and men aged 25 to 54 in Canada". Aboriginal Peoples Survey. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 89-653-X. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-653-x/89-653-x2019002-eng.htm.

Moyser, M. (2017). " Aboriginal People Living Off-Reserve and the Labour Market: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2007-2015". The Aboriginal Labour Force Analysis Series. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 71-588-X2017001. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-588-x/71-588-x2017001-eng.htm.

Statistics Canada (2020). Guide to the Labour Force Survey, 2020. Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 71-543-G. Ottawa, Ontario. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-543-g/71-543-g2020001-eng.htm (accessed August 10, 2020).

Usalcas, J. (2011). " Aboriginal People and the Labour Market: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2008-2010". The Aboriginal Labour Force Analysis Series. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 71-588-X2011003. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-588-x/71-588-x2011003-eng.htm.

Appendix

﻿

June to August 2019

December 2019 to February 2020

March to May 2020

June to August 2020

15 years and over, First Nations

thousands

15 years and over, Métis

thousands

percent

15 years and over, Non-Indigenous

thousands

percent

﻿

Indigenous

Non-Indigenous

June to August 2019

December 2019 to February 2020

March to May 2020

June to August 2020

June to August 2019

December 2019 to February 2020

March to May 2020

June to August 2020

15 to 24 years, both sexes

25 to 54 years, both sexes

55 years and over, both sexes

Unemployment (in thousands)

8.5

11.9

18.7

19.5 Note E: Use with caution

195.2

217.6

394.6

354.7

Unemployment Rate

7.8

10.4

16.9

16.4 Note E: Use with caution

4.6

5.1

9.7

8.5

Notes

Note 1.

Temporary layoffs refer to situations where employees have been temporarily released by their employer due to business conditions, but have a date of return to work or an indication from their employer that they will be recalled in the future (Statistics Canada, 2020).
Return to note 1 referrer

Note 2.

The labour force participation rate among Indigenous mothers with a youngest child aged 17 years or younger decreased 3.6 percentage points to 57.6% year-over-year in the three months ending in August 2020. In comparison, the labour force participation rate among Indigenous fathers declined 2.4 points to 66.1% over the same period.
Return to note 2 referrer

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Labour market impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous people: March to August 2020

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This paper uses monthly data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to examine the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous people from March 2020 to August 2020. Trends in employment, unemployment and labour force participation are examined by Indigenous identity as well as by sex and age group.

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In October, more than 250 members of the Neskantaga First Nation were evacuated to Thunder Bay after an oily sheen was found on their reservoir. The discovery left the community, located in northern Ontario, without access to running water.

The evacuation drew attention to the federal government's 2015 commitment to end all on reserve long-term drinking water advisories (in place for more than one year) by March 31, 2021. Neskantaga has been living under a boil-water advisory for 26 years.

An end to long-term advisories would be marked progress towards addressing these historic issues. But the federal government's decision to choose long-term advisories as the measure for clean drinking water on First Nations reserves is faulty. Long-term advisory statistics are more of a policy performance measure than a true indicator of First Nations water security and well-being.

The focus on eliminating long-term on-reserve drinking-water advisories diverts attention from the equally devastating impacts of short-term advisories, lack of running water, as well as the anticipated effects of climate change on drinking water quality.

As a former advisor on water quality and infrastructure for a federal department, I now research barriers that keep First Nations communities from accessing safe wate. That a new hazard forced Neskantaga's evacuation while engineers are addressing historic ones underscores the need to examine drinking-water risks holistically.

What are drinking water advisories?

Authorities issue notifications to the public when its drinking water supply has potential or real health risks. They caution people to boil the water, not to consume it or not to use it. As of Feb. 15, there were 61 long-term drinking water advisories in place in First Nations communities located south of 60 degrees north.

Although the terms drinking water advisory and boil-water advisory are sometimes used interchangeably, they point to different types of contaminants. Boiling is effective for removing bacteria, viruses and parasites, but not for removing toxic metals, for example.

Emergency advisories are issued when there is a confirmed water quality risk, and precautionary advisories signal a technical problem that could make the water unsafe. Both cause socio-economic disruptions.

Read more: Mining push continues despite water crisis in Neskantaga First Nation and Ontario's Ring of Fire

First Nations advisories are predominantly precautionary - making up more than 90 per cent of Ontario advisories - meaning the majority are about operations and maintenance challenges, not an indicator of clean water as such.

What is clean water?

Different jurisdictions have different standards. Health Canada issues Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, yet provinces and territories can set their own. This means that water considered acceptable on reserve may not be acceptable off reserve.

Perception, too, defines what is clean water. The smell and taste of chlorine, cultural beliefs and lack of trust in the water system has some community members choosing to use untreated, running water. Even when there isn't an advisory in effect, people may still be at risk of illness by avoiding tap water or drinking less water than they should.

Advisories don't reflect the status of the "disconnected." Statistics track centralized water systems, but not all homes are connected because communities often can't afford to lay the pipes. As a consequence, many households rely on standpipes, water trucks, buckets and cisterns - all at risk of contamination. This means that even when there isn't an advisory in effect some community members may still experience water insecurity.

The bigger picture

The government's focus on long-term advisories detracts from the broader impacts that a lack of clean, safe running water has on people.

Excessive water boiling leads to mould that deteriorates housing, causing overcrowding. Overcrowding and lack of running water contribute to the contraction of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA), the main antibiotic-resistant infection that disproportionately affects Indigenous people.

Buying water because what's coming from the tap isn't fit to drink or wash with costs money that might have otherwise been used for food. Evacuations separate families and friends.

The government quantifies water advisories, but not their effects on mental, physical and spiritual health, educational success and cultural continuity. Yet these factors can lead " stamina, endurance, tolerance and resiliency [to be] stretched beyond human limits," the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario wrote in its report on the children and youth who died by suicide in the Pikangikum First Nation between January 2006 and December 2008.

Communication about solutions is typically framed around technological fixes. Researchers surveying Canadian news articles from 2000 to 2015 found that "most stories focused on government responses to water-related issues, and less often covered preventative measures such as source water protection."

First Nations water advisories are about much more. Root causes are found in colonialism and the forced relocation of many communities to areas where resource extraction puts stress on drinking water sources. The reasons behind advisories range from lack of trained staff and funding to difficulties obtaining replacement parts due to remoteness.

The children and youth of the Neskantaga First Nation are asking when they can go home again. They have been displaced from their community, and are owed a commitment from the government to long-term goals above and beyond what drinking water advisories measure.

International infrastructure scholarship and Canadian water researchers advocate the adoption of values beyond merely health and safety. Integrating understandings about what communities need from their social, economic, natural and built environments with Indigenous planning principles could smooth Canada's path toward reconciliation and " grow the circle of wellness."

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Water crisis in First Nations communities runs deeper than long-term drinking water advisories

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In October, more than 250 members of the Neskantaga First Nation were evacuated to Thunder Bay after an oily sheen was found on their reservoir. The discovery left the community, located in northern Ontario, without access to running water.

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"The auditor general found that since the prime minister made that commitment, 100 advisories have been lifted. But 60 remained in effect in 41 First Nations communities as of November 2020, and some communities won't be able to get clean water out of their taps for many years."

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The federal government has not done enough to ensure people in First Nations communities have reliable access to safe drinking water, says the federal auditor general.

In an audit report tabled in Parliament today, Auditor General Karen Hogan said many First Nations will continue to live without access to clean water without long-term solutions to address deficiencies in their water systems.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed during the 2015 election to eliminating all long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems on First Nations reserves by March 31, 2021.

The auditor general found that since the prime minister made that commitment, 100 advisories have been lifted. But 60 remained in effect in 41 First Nations communities as of November 2020, and some communities won't be able to get clean water out of their taps for many years.

"I am very concerned and honestly disheartened that this longstanding issue is still not resolved," Hogan told a press conference in Ottawa today.

"Access to safe drinking water is a basic human necessity. I don't believe anyone would say that this is in any way an acceptable situation in Canada in 2021."
WATCH | AG has strong words for Ottawa on First Nations drinking water:

The findings are in one of five audit reports issued by Hogan today. One of those reports raises concerns about Transport Canada's lack of progress in ensuring safety oversight of railway companies, while another concluded Canada's national shipbuilding strategy has been slow to deliver new ships.

The auditor's review of the First Nations drinking water crisis found Indigenous Services Canada's efforts to lift boil water advisories have been constrained by a funding policy that hasn't been updated in 30 years, and by the lack of a regulatory regime that includes legal protections comparable with other communities in Canada.

Delays predate COVID-19: AG

Last fall, a CBC News survey determined the Liberal government would miss its March 2021 deadline to lift all long-term boil water advisories - something that Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller acknowledged in December 2020.

The audit found that COVID-19 pushed the timeline back on some water projects, but Indigenous Services Canada was already behind schedule by the end of March 2020 - before the pandemic hit.

The problems persist despite the Liberal government allocating over $3 billion to resolve the issue.

Hogan recommended the department work with First Nations to proactively identify and address deficiencies in water systems, with a focus on long-term solutions that prevent recurring problems.

She also called on the government to commit sufficient funding to operations and maintenance of water infrastructure and pass legislation that includes legal protections comparable with other communities in Canada.

"Until these solutions are implemented, First Nations communities will continue to experience challenges in accessing safe drinking water," the report said.
WATCH | Indigenous Services minister responds to AG report criticizing First Nations water plan:

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said the federal government welcomes the auditor general's report and agrees with her recommendations. He said the government is committed to funding 100 per cent of the operations and maintenance costs for water and wastewater on reserves.

He said there are project plans in place to lift all remaining boil water advisories, but he couldn't say when he expects them all to be lifted.

"Despite the challenges, we're confident we're on the right path," said Miller.

Opposition politicians slammed the Liberal government for what they called a lack of progress.

"Government success isn't measured by funding announcements, it's measured by outcomes," said Conservative MP Gary Vidal. "The Liberals like to make eye-catching promises in order to win elections but their consistent failure to deliver on these promises is undermining trust and hurting reconciliation."

"Indigenous communities are no better off now after six years of the Liberals being in government," said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Shipbuilding strategy slow to replace federal fleet

The auditor general's review of the national shipbuilding strategy - implemented in 2010 to manufacture combat and non-combat ships for the Canadian Navy and the Coast Guard - found that it has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.

"[The federal departments] did not manage the National Shipbuilding Strategy in a manner that supported timely renewal of the federal large vessel fleet during the audit period, but they did address issues that threatened the future renewal of the federal fleet," Hogan concluded.

The audit was conducted between Jan. 1, 2018 and Jan. 30, 2020. Only two of four ships scheduled for delivery during that period arrived, but both were late, the audit found. The delivery dates for some other vessels also were pushed back during the audit period - in some cases by several years.

Design and construction delays have added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of procuring the ships and threaten to leave Canada ill-equipped to defend and patrol its waters, Hogan warned.

"The late delivery of ships for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard could put at risk Canada's ability to perform critical operations," the auditor's report said.

"These operations support the navy's peace, defence and security missions in Canada and around the world and the coast guard's search and rescue missions, icebreaking and other operations to ensure safety in Canadian waters."

Since the audit period, the COVID-19 pandemic has further delayed ship construction. Irving Shipbuilding and Vancouver Shipyards were forced to either temporarily shut down operations or operate at reduced capacities for periods of time because of public health restrictions.

The auditor general's report comes one day after Canada's budget watchdog predicted that construction of the navy's new frigate fleet could cost at least $77.3 billion - a number that could rise even higher if the frequently-delayed program faces any more setbacks.

Other findings

Among the other findings released by the auditor general on Thursday:

The Canada Revenue Agency was praised for its management of the Canada Child Benefit program, which the audit found paid out $24 billion promptly and to the right people during the fiscal year 2019-2020. But the auditors found that the government in some cases kept making payments based on outdated information - and the program's assumption that female parents are the primary caregivers isn't always correct, causing problems for some families.

A one-time top-up payment of $300 per child to help families during the pandemic, announced in May 2020, paid out $88 million to almost 265,000 higher-income families who wouldn't normally qualify for the benefit.

Transport Canada was criticized for failing to implement a number of recommendations included in a 2013 audit of its safety management practices. The most recent audit found that Transport Canada's checks on rail safety have improved to focus more on riskier areas and to better follow up on safety deficiencies in rail companies' practices. The department has not, however, examined the companies' safety management systems for effectiveness, according to the auditors - only for whether they tick the necessary regulatory boxes.

Staff who work in federal departments that buy complex information technology systems need better training. Public Services and Procurement Canada, Shared Services Canada, the Treasury Board and Employment and Social Development Canada are adopting "agile" procurement models that involve a lot more back-and-forth with potential vendors - something for which the officials doing the procuring aren't always equipped. The auditors also concluded procurement agencies should make more use of data analytics to spot cases of potential bid-rigging and other problems.

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Too many First Nations lack clean drinking water and it's Ottawa's fault, says auditor general | CBC News

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The federal government has not done enough to ensure people in First Nations communities have reliable access to safe drinking water, says the federal auditor general.

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"The gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people is declining in all regions of Canada; however, gains are not shared equally among the Aboriginal groups: Métis and off-reserve First Nations display higher employment rates than on-reserve First Nations and Inuit "

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From 2001 to 2014 the average rate of homicides involving Indigenous female victims was four times higher than that of homicides involving non-Indigenous female victims.

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Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls met with participants of the 2016 National Roundtable at a separate gathering yesterday to discuss directly with provincial and territorial leaders their recommendations for achieving justice and ending violence.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne provided an update on the Canada-wide prevention and awareness campaign committed to at the 2015 National Roundtable.

Alberta Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Feehan shared an update on work underway through the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group to develop a socio-economic action plan for Aboriginal women. The plan will present a comprehensive account of the challenges and barriers that adversely impact socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal women. It will share best practices and identify collaborative means to improve socio-economic outcomes of Aboriginal women.

Federal Ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould, Dr. Carolyn Bennett and Patty Hajdu provided an update on the engagement process and planning for a National Inquiry on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Participants shared their support for a National Inquiry and views on how to best engage and reflect regional interests and perspectives.

All participants want to acknowledge the excellent work accomplished at the 2016 Justice Practitioners' Summit, and will work to examine all of the recommendations contained within the report. The Summit gathered together nearly two hundred participants from across Canada representing experts and practitioners in three key sectors: victim services; policing; and prosecutions.

Roundtable participants expressed support for ongoing efforts among all governments and organizations engaged in ending violence against Indigenous women and girls.

2016 National Roundtable on MMIWG participants included families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, federal Ministers of Justice, Indigenous Affairs and Status of Women, provincial and territorial Ministers, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Chief Dwight Dorey, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed, Métis National Council President Clément Chartier, Native Women's Association of Canada President Dawn Lavell-Harvard, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada President Rebecca Kudloo, Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak / Women of the Métis Nation President Melanie Omeniho.

View the full list of participants to the 2016 National Roundtable on MMIWG here.

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MMIWG Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Ending Violence - Assembly of First Nations - AFN

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Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls met with participants of the 2016 National Roundtable at a separate gathering yesterday to discuss directly with provincial and territorial leaders their recommendations for achieving justice and ending violence. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne provided an update on the Canada-wide prevention and awareness campaign committed to at the 2015 National Roundtable.

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"First Nations on reserve populations continue to demonstrate persistent and sometimes worsening outcome deficits. First Nations on reserve employment rates, median income and educational levels are the lowest of all identity groups, demonstrating a strong need for increasing levels of targeted support through policy and programming."