English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

A. ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN ONTARIO
In Ontario, the Aboriginal population is about two percent of the entire Ontario
population; the Ontario Aboriginal population, however, represents 23 percent of all
Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Three distinct peoples constitute “Aboriginal peoples”
in Canada: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Although the term First Nations is widely
used, no legal definition of it exists. It refers to Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are
neither Inuit nor Métis and have their origins in the original Indigenous peoples found
in Canada south of the 60th latitudinal line. There are currently 630 recognized First
Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, with 127 being in Ontario.
First Nations people were originally known by the name “Indian,” which is a term
used by the federal government, and which is used in the Indian Act and means “a
person who pursuant to this Act is registered as an Indian or is entitled to be
registered as an Indian.” A number of terms include the word “Indian,” such as
“Status Indian,” “Non-status Indian,” and “Treaty Indian.” Status Indians are those
who are registered as Indians under the Indian Act; although this term would also
include those who, although not registered, are entitled to be registered. Non-status
Indians are those who lost their status or whose ancestors were never registered or
lost their status under former or current provisions of the Indian Act. Treaty Indians
are those members of a community whose ancestors signed a treaty with the Crown
and as a result are entitled to treaty benefits. The term “Indian” was first used by
Christopher Columbus in 1492, believing he had reached India.
The Métis peoples are of mixed First Nations and European ancestry. The Métis
history and culture draws on diverse ancestral origins, such as Scottish, Irish, French,
Ojibway, and Cree. The term Métis refers to a person of mixed heritage. It first came
into use in the 16th century, when the French began to visit North America regularly.
Métis became a name used to describe the heritage of children born of French and
Scottish fur traders and Algonquin, Ojibway and Cree women. In what was then
called New France, both the Church and the Crown encouraged the bolstering of the
French-Aboriginal population to strengthen French claims to the land.
The Inuit are the original residents of the Arctic and live north of the 60th latitudinal
line. Currently the Inuit live in the Arctic within four Land Claim Settlements and
three Territories. Inuit means “the people” in Inuktitut, an Inuit language. Inuit
people also have diverse cultural traits that vary across the huge Arctic region.
In 2006, First Nations, Métis and Inuit people of Aboriginal ancestry in Canada
surpassed the 1,000,000 mark, reaching 1,172,790. In the past decade, the Aboriginal
population grew by 45 percent, nearly six times faster than the eight percent increase
of the non-Aboriginal population.
46