First published in:

Mosaic Spring 2016

READING TIME:

min read

HOME AND
NATIVE LAND

It’s time to face the harsh reality. Canada has a racism problem as great as our neighbour to the south.

Unemployment rate

14%

11%

Unemployment rate vs. The national rate

2.1 times

1.9 times

Median income

$22,344

$23,738

Median income vs. The national rate

60%

74%

Incarceration rate (per 100,000 population)

1,400

1,400

Incarceration rate vs. The national rate

10 times

3 times

Homicide rate (per 100,000 population)

8.8

17.3

Homicide rate vs. The national rate

6.1 times

3.7 times

Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)

11.7

12.4

Infant mortality rate vs. The national rate

2.3 times

2 times

Life expectancy (in years)

72.8

74.9

Life expectancy vs. The national rate

91%

95%

Dropout rate*

23%

8%

Dropout rate vs. The national rate

2.7 times

1.1 times

*20- to 24-year-olds without a high school diploma, and not in school

Sources: Statistics Canada; Office of the Correctional Investigator; The Lancet; Health Canada; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Department of Health; Centers of Disease Control; National Center of Education Statistics (Maclean’s Magazine. Jan 22, 2015)