More Quebecers identifying as Indigenous, 2016 census figures show

Quebec has the lowest percentage of Indigenous people of any province or territory in Canada, however, with more people identifying as Indigenous than ever before, those numbers are growing.

The province saw a37.5 per centincrease of people who identified asFirst Nationsbetween 2006 and 2016, according to the latest data released by Statistics Canada.

Quebec also saw the country's highest growth when it comes to people who identify as Mtis.

In 2016, 149.2 per centmore people identified asMtiscompared to 2006.

• Two-thirds of Inuit can speak Inuktut: StatsCan
• 21.9% of Canadians are immigrants, the highest share in 85 years: StatsCan

Nunavik, the Inuit territory innorthern Quebec, also registered the highest population increase among Canada's Inuit, up 23.3 per centsince 2006.

Among the country's Inuitpopulation living outside the recognized Inuit territory of Nunangat that is, those not living in Nunavut, Nunavik, Nanatsiavutor Inuvialuita little more than onein 10 livein Quebec.

Higherenrolment, schools at capacity

TheKativikSchool Board said it has witnesseda steady increase inthe number of children enrolling at its 17 elementaryand highschoolsacross Nunavik over the past years.

"We see it very clearly," said Kativik's communicationsco-ordinator, Jade Duchesneau-Bernier.

For the 2016-17school year alone, there are 200 new students acrossthe 14 communities, stretchingthe capacity of existing schools.

"We've had to use libraries as classrooms," saidDuchesneau-Bernier.

Among other projects, the board is hoping to build a new high school in Inukjuak, Que.

Right now, students from kindergarten to secondary five all go to the same school.

Inuktitut preserved in Nunavik

Nunavikhasthe highestpopulation of Inuit who have retained Inuktutin Canada, with 99.2 per cent of Inuit reporting they are fluent in their native language, according to the 2016 census.

Inuktutis the term for all Inuit languages, Inuktitut being by far the most spoken of the three.

At the Kativik School Board, classes are taught in Inuktitut as a first language from kindergarten to grade three.

It then continues as the second-language instruction up to secondary five, saidDuchesneau-Bernier.

"They have 45 minutes ofInuktituta few times a week."

More self-identification, younger population

Statistics Canada says thesurge in the Indigenous population in Quebec can beattributed to the fact that more people identifiedas Indigenous in the 2016 census compared to previous yearsa trend that continues.

The growth can also be explained by agreater life expectancy and high fertility rates.

Quebec towns where the Indigenous population changed significantly since 2011:

• Causapscal 975 per cent.
• Kipawa 950per cent.
• Les les-de-la-Madeleine 583.3per cent.
• Saint-Augustin 500per cent.
• Perc 455.6per cent.
• Kazabazua 450per cent.
• Port-DanielGascons 400 per cent.
• Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc 377.8per cent.
• Tmiscouata-sur-le-Lac 328.6per cent.

In 2016, the average age of an Indigenous Canadianwas 32.1 years, nearly a decade younger than the average age of a non-Indigenous Canadian,which is 40.9 years.

About a third of the Indigenous population is under the age of 14, while 6.4 per centare over 65.

Quebec compared to Canada

Overall, Quebec is the province with the lowest percentage of Indigenous people,at 1.2 per cent of its total population, compared to 2.8 per cent for all of Canada.

Of the 1,673,785 Indigenous people in Canada, 9.5 per cent livein Quebec.

That breaks down as follows:

• Indigenous: 182,890.
• First Nations: 92,655.
• Mtis: 69,360.
• Inuit: 13,945.
• Other Indigenous identifiers: 6,930.

• Total population of Quebec: 7,965,450.