Half of Canada's First Nations children live in poverty, UPI quoted a report by the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives as indicating. "The poverty rate is staggering," said report co-author David Macdonald of the indigenous population of Canada. "A 50 percent poverty rate is unlike any poverty rate or any other disadvantaged group in the country, by a long shot the worst." The report, released Tuesday, said the poverty rate for children on First Nations reserves is triple that of non-indigenous children. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces, 62 and 64 percent of First Nations children, respectively, are living below the poverty line, compared with 15 and 16 percent, respectively of non-indigenous children in those provinces. The study is based on 2006 Census figures, the most recent available data until more of the 2011 Census is released, the Canadian broadcasting Corp. noted.
