Note: Many statistics are from the 1991 Canadian Census, and the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (a follow-up to the 1991 Census).
What is the Aboriginal population in British Columbia?
According to Statistics
Canada about 3.8 per cent of B.C.'s total population -- almost 139,655
people -- identify themselves as aboriginal. Of these, 25,575 define themselves
as Metis and 740 define themselves as Inuit.
Fifty-seven per cent of aboriginal people in B.C. are under 24 years of age. The aboriginal youth population is the fastest growing demographic group in the province.
This is the reverse of the elderly population. Aboriginals 55 years of age and over constitute only 7 per cent of BCs aboriginal population while non-Aboriginal people over the age of 55 account for almost 23 per cent of the non-Aboriginal population.
What are the most frequently spoken aboriginal languages in B.C.?
There are four language groups that account for over 85 per cent of
the Aboriginal languages spoken in BC. The Aboriginal population reporting
an Aboriginal mother tongue (defined as the first language learned in childhood
and still understood):
How many Tribal Councils are there in British Columbia?
There are 31 Tribal Councils in the province.
How many reserves are there in British Columbia?
BC has approximately 1,650 or 72 per cent of Canada's 2,300 reserves.
Many of the reserves are small and only one-quarter were occupied in 1991.
What is the land area of reserves in British Columbia?
Reserve land accounts for 0.36 per cent (343,741 hectares) of B.C.'s
total land. B.C. reserves account for 13 per cent of the total area of
Canadian reserves (2,684,448 hectares).
How many Aboriginal people live on these reserves?
In 1991, 24 per cent of the Aboriginal population in B.C. lived on
a reserve, down from 28 per cent in 1986.
BC is unique among the provinces in that over 25 per cent of the population on reserves do not have an Aboriginal ancestry. The majority of non-Aboriginal people living on reserves are on land leased from the reserves.
What does Registered or Status Indian mean?
A person recorded as an Indian in the Indian Register. Most registered
Indians are members of an Indian band.
Who are Non-Status Indians?
Persons who are of Indian ancestry and cultural affiliation, but who
are not registered as Indians under the Indian Act or persons who lost
their right to be registered as Indians under the Indian Act before it
was amended in 1985. Before June 1985 when changes were made to the Indian
Act, these included, for instance, Indian women who married non-Indian
men. The amended Act of 1985 entitles these people to be re-instated to
Indian status and band membership. Métis and Non-Status Indians
are not covered by the Indian Act. Métis and Non-Status Indians
who want information about programs and services available to them should
contact the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples or the Métis National
Council.
What is an Indian Band?
A band is a group of Indians for whose common use and benefit, lands
have been set apart and money is held by the Crown. It is a body of Indians
declared by the Governor-in-Council to be a band for the purposes of the
Indian Act.
(Source: Indian Act, R.S., 1985, c. I-5)
What is a reserve?
A reserve is land that is set aside for the use and benefit of a band.
For definitions of commonly used terms refer to Glossary
of Treaty-related Terms as used by the Province of British Columbia
Who can live on a reserve?
Any registered Indian -- who is also a band member -- may live on a
reserve and use those lands as long as the band has not adopted a residency
by-law which limits or regulates the right to live on the reserve. Forty
percent of bands control their own membership lists.
There are certain privileges for residents of reserves. Ordinary residency on a reserve gives you the right to vote in most band elections. The personal property of a Registered Indian living on a reserve cannot be seized by anyone other than another Indian or the band.
What is a Land Claim?
Land Claim is a phrase used by federal and provincial governments to
denote the struggle of Aboriginal people in Canada for recognition of their
rights to traditional lands. Many Aboriginal people consider the term a
misnomer as it suggests they are 'claiming' something that belongs to the
governments, and some refer to the issue as the Land Question.
Do Registered Indian people pay taxes?
There are some taxes which Indians and bands do not pay. Under Sections
87 and 90 of the Indian Act, Indians and bands do not pay federal and provincial
taxes on their personal and real property which is on the reserve. Some
property, such as scholarships paid to Status Indians (registered or entitled
to be registered) by DIAND, is always considered to be "situated on reserve"
and
therefore is not taxable.
Since income is personal property, as a Registered, or entitled to be Registered, Indian, you may also be exempt from paying income tax when the income is earned on reserve. For example, Registered Indians who work on a reserve do not pay federal and provincial taxes on their employment income.
Whether Aboriginal people pay provincial sales tax depends on where the goods are purchased. Provinces cannot tax Registered Indians on any goods they purchase on a reserve. Some provinces exempt goods that are purchased off-reserve but are delivered to, used or consumed on-reserve. Special rules may apply to some items such as automobiles and alcohol.