METIS
How might the mestis population change through the years ?
mestis population
Based on the data collected from the census question on ethnic origin (or ancestry) that has been asked in censuses since the late 19th century, the number of people reporting an Aboriginal ancestry, estimated at scarcely more than 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century, rose to more than 160,000 in 1951 and exceeded one million in 1991 (Guimond, Robitaille and Senécal, 2009). In more recent years, Aboriginal peoples, whether they are defined on the basis of ancestry or self-reported Aboriginal identity, have seen their numbers grow faster than the rest of the Canadian population, and accordingly their weight within the Canadian population is currently increasing. Persons with Aboriginal ancestry—that is with at least one Aboriginal ancestor—represented 5.4% of the population in 2006, compared to 3.8% 10 years earlier. Persons who reported an Aboriginal identity (basically a subset of the population with Aboriginal ancestry) in turn made up 3.8% of the population in 2006, compared to 2.8% in 1996 (Statistics Canada, 2008-1; Statistics Canada, 2008-2; Statistics Canada, 2003).
Tiara Peralta Fernandez