Aboriginal persons

In the past "Aboriginal persons" generally applied to persons resident in Canada who could trace their origins to the native people or First Nations people who inhabited the area (of what is now Canada) when the first Europeans arrived. In addition, some persons have gained Aboriginal rights under legislation (e.g., the spouses of Aboriginal persons).

However, persons resident in Canada who can trace their origins to geographic regions contiguous to Canada might also be properly included. These would include persons of First Nations heritage whose linguistic families occupied traditional lands in Canada and that bordered on what is now Canada. This would include the following linguistic families: Algonquian, Northern Athapaskan, Cree-French Creole (Mitchif), Eskimo-Aleut, (Inuktitut), Haida, Iroquoian, Kutenai, Salishan, Siouan, Tlingit, Penutian (Tsimshian) and Wakashan. The boundaries of these families were such that they would approximate territory that is now in Greenland, Alaska, the easternmost point of Chukchi Peninsula (in Asia), Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and the New England states. These are all areas where it can be assumed that there were considerable linguistic, cultural, economic and family ties across what are now international boundaries.

In effect, the counts of Aboriginal persons in Canada should include persons resident in Canada who could trace their origins to the native people or First Nations people who inhabited the area (of what is now Canada) and/or to the native people or First Nations people who were members of the above-specified linguistic families when the first Europeans arrived. In addition, some persons have gained Aboriginal rights under legislation (e.g., the spouses of Aboriginal persons).

(For more detailed discussion see: G. Priest, "Discussion Paper: Providing data on Aboriginal Persons in the context of the Constitution Act", unpublished paper, Statistics Canada, 97:01:30).