Indigenous Children and Poverty

BY CHARITY LUI, MSW, RSW

THE STORY OF child poverty in Alberta is disproportionately a story of Indigenous children.

The traumatic legacies of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop and ongoing systemic racism within the child welfare and judicial systems in Canada continue to ripple through the youngest generations of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Canadians. Poverty is one of the repercussions of these historic and ongoing injustices.

The evidence suggests that Indigenous children face higher rates of poverty, especially those living on reserve.

All children who experience poverty face poorer health, academic stressors including lower literacy rates, and long-term developmental consequences. While census data for Indigenous people in Alberta is widely regarded as inaccurate and incomplete, the evidence suggests that Indigenous children face higher rates of poverty, especially those living on reserve.

The Alberta Child Poverty report is released annually to highlight the reality of children living without the resources they need to thrive and succeed. The 2020 report, Spotlight: Lessons on Child Poverty During a Pandemic included a focus on Indigenous children. The following are excerpts related to this vulnerable but resilient demographic.

Indigenous Children and Mental Health

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among Indigenous children and youth. Across age groups, suicide rates for First Nations living on reserve are twice as high as First Nations living off reserve. In Alberta, the average rate of visits to the emergency department due to self-harm among 10-to-24-year-old children and youth was four times higher for those who identified as First Nations compared to non-First Nations between 2006 and 2017. The rate of self-harm significantly increased for females aged 15-to-19 between 2011 and 2017. The annual increase was more pronounced for those who identified as First Nations (10.7%) compared to non First Nations (5.2%). First Nations children also had the highest rates of emergency room visits. First Nations children and children from families who receive government subsidies are more likely to visit emergency departments for mental health crisis.

Evidently, aspects of a child’s social identity, such as race, ethnicity, class, and gender, intersect and influence mental health and wellbeing. Given that colonialism is embedded in Canada’s health care system, the lack of access to culturally appropriate services, including access to traditional healers and Elders, is partially to blame for these consequences.

A Story of Living on Reserve

Kanakii Mekaisto, BSW, RSW, MEd, BEd, lives and works in Siksika with the Siksika Nation, one hour east of Calgary. She shared her experience as a social worker and teacher about the inequality children and youth experience on reserve.

As a residential school survivor, Kanakii sees the impact of intergenerational trauma and poverty. The effects are apparent— nearly every child is surviving with physical, cognitive or learning disabilities, addictions and mental health challenges, cultural and identity issues, lack of appropriate housing, and/or food insecurity. The number of children in care, kinship care, and single parent homes is four times higher for First Nations people. According to Statistics Canada, more than one third of Indigenous children aged 0 to 4 live with one parent.

Kanakii shared that Non-Status Indian children in Alberta are fully funded by the province for their public education. In contrast, children on reserves receive only $10,000 from Indigenous Services Canada towards the cost of their education. This is about $8,000 less than every other child in Alberta. For those children who attend provincial schools and live on reserve, the Nation must make up the difference (approximately $8,000) to the province. As a result, there are significantly less funds left to put towards the education of those children who live and go to school on reserve.

Nevertheless, the resilience shown by these diverse communities is evident throughout Alberta in the continuation of their cultural expressions, languages, and spiritual distinctions. There is an urgency to preserve and honour Indigenous languages and cultures in order to combat some of the root causes of Indigenous child poverty.

This information was included in the Spotlight: Lessons on Child Poverty During a Pandemic report that was released by ACSW in partnership with Public Interest Alberta and the Edmonton Social Planning Council.Special thanks to Kanakii Mekaisto whograciously shared her knowledge withthe research team.

CHARITY LUI is the Membership Activities Team Lead. You can contact her at MemberActivitiesLead@acsw.ab.ca