Aboriginal Mobility and Migration within Urban Canada: Outcomes, Factors and Implications

Mary Jane Norris, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Stewart Clatworthy, Independent Consultant

This study employs data on Aboriginal mobility and migration from the recent 2001 Census, along with extensive analyses based on the 1996 Census, the 1991 post-censal Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), and earlier censuses. Basic questions are addressed about the propensity to move, the effect of migration on population redistribution and growth, and origin – destination flows, with particular emphasis on cities. With respect to the considerable growth of Aboriginal populations in urban areas, analysis demonstrates that migration is currently not the major contributor, and, that other factors, such as ethnic mobility, are at play. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that the most important considerations of contemporary Aboriginal migration relate not to redistribution of the population, but rather to high rates of movement or “churn” both within and “to and from” cities. Residential and community instability may have the greatest consequences for the well-being of Aboriginal people, especially in urban areas.