ABORIGINALS IN CANADA
In each country, there are people that call themselves natives to their land. Which can be true, but their lineage can be traced to other countries. The true natives of a country are the aboriginals. In Canada, there are three main groups: First Nation, Inuit, and Métis (Clark 45). Of the 34.3 million people that live in Canada, only 4 percent of the population represents these communities. These groups are a very small compared to non-aboriginals, but their health is much worse than the rest of the population (Canada). Even though these groups are small in number, they are the fastest growing groups in the country. Forty Five percent of the aboriginal population increased from 1996 to 2006 compared to an 8 percent increase …show more content…
The male life expectancy of ordinary Canadians is 80 years, while women are 84 years. Aboriginal males, on the other hand, are 70 years, while women are 77 years. The gap between aboriginals and non-aboriginals is quiet significant, which begs the question of why? According to graph 1, the four leading causes of death are injury and poisonings, circulatory diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases. The most common cause of death is poisonings among children under 10. The cause of so many death because of poisonings is because paper mills dumped massive amounts of mercury into the English and Wabigoon river systems between 1962 and 1970. This water was then used by the aboriginals and causes many of them to die (“Young indigenous people”). While deaths are primarily accidental, suicide and self-injury are the leading causes of death for youth and adults up to age 44 (“Health of First Nations”). After the age of 45, chronic diseases are the primary causes of death such as circulatory diseases. Although there are cultural differences in how health is understood, the same trends are
In each country, there are people that call themselves natives to their land. Which can be true, but their lineage can be traced to other countries. The true natives of a country are the aboriginals. In Canada, there are three main groups: First Nation, Inuit, and Métis (Clark 45). Of the 34.3 million people that live in Canada, only 4 percent of the population represents these communities. These groups are a very small compared to non-aboriginals, but their health is much worse than the rest of the population (Canada). Even though these groups are small in number, they are the fastest growing groups in the country. Forty Five percent of the aboriginal population increased from 1996 to 2006 compared to an 8 percent increase …show more content…
The male life expectancy of ordinary Canadians is 80 years, while women are 84 years. Aboriginal males, on the other hand, are 70 years, while women are 77 years. The gap between aboriginals and non-aboriginals is quiet significant, which begs the question of why? According to graph 1, the four leading causes of death are injury and poisonings, circulatory diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases. The most common cause of death is poisonings among children under 10. The cause of so many death because of poisonings is because paper mills dumped massive amounts of mercury into the English and Wabigoon river systems between 1962 and 1970. This water was then used by the aboriginals and causes many of them to die (“Young indigenous people”). While deaths are primarily accidental, suicide and self-injury are the leading causes of death for youth and adults up to age 44 (“Health of First Nations”). After the age of 45, chronic diseases are the primary causes of death such as circulatory diseases. Although there are cultural differences in how health is understood, the same trends are