Quebec’s Aboriginal poverty is severe, and the large gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal education levels is the most important factor in explaining it, concludes a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In Aboriginal Education in Quebec: A Benchmarking Exercise, John Richards, a professor at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, examines the relationship between education levels and employment – for Quebec Aboriginals. Comparing outcomes within the province’s Aboriginal identity groups to results for other Quebecers, and for Canadians overall, Richards finds that the province’s Aboriginal education outcomes rank below the Canadian average, which itself is disturbingly low. Richards makes six broad recommendations to address the crisis in Aboriginal education – in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
