One quarter of all Aboriginal children live in poverty according to a new report that calls on both the provincial and federal governments to ensure the basic needs of children are met so they can strive in other areas of life.
The advocacy group Campaign 2000 released the study, called Oh Canada! Too Many Children in Poverty for Too Long, November 24.
“With an increasing First Nations and aboriginal population that is both rural and urban, young, vital and rapidly expanding, Canada must address the extremes of poverty that First Nations face on a daily basis,” says the report. “This poverty is systemic and long-standing, and requires concerted action from all levels.”
It also said that Aboriginal children across Canada deal with conditions of squalor and are more likely than their non-native counterparts to contract and succumb to disease
The report also said that problems like mould, overcrowding in dwellings and disabled youth are at pandemic levels amongst Canada’s First Nations.