Grade by Grade
B. Global Inequalities: Economic Development and Quality of Life · Global Inequalities: Economic Development and Quality of Life

Quality of Life Within Canada, Including First Nations, Métis and Inuit Communities

B3.9 B3.2 B1.1About 55 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain why Canada's high national rankings hide differences within Canada.
  • I can describe gaps in quality-of-life indicators between regions and groups in Canada, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.
  • I can explain how colonial policies and other factors contributed to these gaps.
  • I can describe Indigenous-led actions that improve quality of life.

Words to know

drinking water advisory
A public warning that water from a community's system is not safe to drink or must be boiled first. A long-term advisory has lasted more than a year.
on-reserve
Living on land set aside for a First Nation under the Indian Act. Many First Nations people also live off-reserve, including in cities.
Inuit Nunangat
The Inuit homeland in Canada, made up of four regions: the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador).
food insecurity
Not having reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.
crowded housing
A home with too few bedrooms for the number of people living in it.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
A commission that documented the history and effects of residential schools. Its final report in 2015 included 94 Calls to Action.
self-determination
The right of a people to make decisions about their own government, lands, education, health and future.

Hook: is Canada one of the best places to live?

Canada usually ranks near the top of the world on the HDI. But earlier lessons showed that averages hide differences. A student in a Toronto suburb, a student in a fly-in First Nation in northern Ontario, and a student in Iqaluit may live in very different conditions. In this lesson you will compare quality of life within Canada.

A small floatplane tied to a wooden dock on a calm lake surrounded by spruce forest.
Some communities in northern Ontario can only be reached by plane for much of the year. How might that affect the price of food and access to services? AI-generated image

Differences within Canada

  • Regions: incomes and costs differ among provinces and territories, and between cities and rural or remote areas. In the North, groceries, fuel and building materials often cost much more because they must be flown in or shipped during a short summer season.
  • Groups: Statistics Canada data show gaps in income, health, housing and education for some groups, including many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, some recent immigrants and racialized Canadians, and people with disabilities.
  • Housing: in big cities, many families struggle with the high cost of rent or buying a home.
IndicatorWhat the data show (rounded, from government sources)
Safe drinking waterSince November 2015, more than 140 long-term drinking water advisories on public systems in First Nations communities have been lifted, but dozens remained in the mid-2020s (Indigenous Services Canada). Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario was still under a boil-water advisory that began in 1995, one of the longest in Canada (as of 2025).
Life expectancyOn average, life expectancy is several years lower for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people than for non-Indigenous people in Canada (Statistics Canada studies).
HousingInuit living in Inuit Nunangat and First Nations people living on reserve are much more likely to live in crowded housing or homes needing major repairs than other Canadians (2021 Census, Statistics Canada).
FoodFood insecurity rates are highest in Nunavut of all provinces and territories (Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey).
Community well-beingIndigenous Services Canada's Community Well-Being index (education, work, income, housing) shows a gap between First Nations and non-Indigenous communities, though the gap and scores vary widely from community to community.
Selected indicators of differences within Canada. Exact numbers change; check the newest reports from Indigenous Services Canada and Statistics Canada.

Why do these gaps exist?

The gaps are not because of anything lacking in Indigenous peoples or cultures. They are linked to history and policy:

  • Colonial policies: the Indian Act (1876) controlled many parts of First Nations life; reserves were often placed on small or poor land; some Inuit and First Nations communities were relocated by governments.
  • Residential schools: for more than a century, many First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were taken from their families, their languages and cultures were suppressed, and many suffered abuse. The effects continue across generations. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported on this history in 2015 with 94 Calls to Action.
  • Funding: services on reserves, such as schools, water systems and child welfare, have often received less funding than similar services elsewhere in Canada.
  • Geography: remote, fly-in communities face higher costs for building and supplies.

These factors are interconnected: unsafe water affects health, crowded housing spreads illness, and both make it harder for students to learn.

Unsafe waterCrowded housingIllness spreads;stressHarder to learn;missed schoolno quiet spaceto study
These factors are interconnected: unsafe water and crowded housing both make illness more likely, and illness and crowding both make it harder for students to learn.

Strength, leadership and action

First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities are leading change:

  • Nunavut was created in 1999 after the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Most of its people are Inuit, and Inuktut is an official language there.
  • Many First Nations run their own water systems, schools and health services, and train their own water operators.
  • Jordan's Principle aims to make sure First Nations children get the services they need without delays caused by governments arguing over who should pay. It is named after Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation.
  • National organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council advocate for their peoples.
  • Many communities also measure well-being in ways that include language, culture, connection to the land and community, not just income.
1876Indian Act1999Nunavutcreated2015TRC final report:94 Calls to ActionSince late 2015140+ long-term wateradvisories lifted
A few key dates from this lesson (not to scale). Colonial policies created gaps over a long time; actions led by and with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities are working to close them.

Avoid stereotypes

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people live in cities and towns, people work in every kind of job, and many communities are growing and thriving. When you discuss gaps, name the conditions and their causes (policies, funding, remoteness), use data with sources, and include the actions communities are leading.

Worked example

Let's compare carefully

A student writes: "Canada has a very high HDI, so everyone in Canada has a high quality of life." Use evidence to improve the statement.

  1. Start with what is true: Canada's national HDI is very high (about 0.94, UNDP).
  2. Add evidence of differences: some First Nations communities have lived under long-term drinking water advisories, and Inuit in Inuit Nunangat are much more likely to live in crowded housing (Indigenous Services Canada; Statistics Canada).
  3. Explain causes: colonial policies, residential schools, underfunding and remoteness.
  4. Add action: communities, governments and organizations are working to close the gaps, for example by lifting water advisories and through Jordan's Principle.

Improved statement: "Canada's average quality of life is very high, but the national average hides gaps. Some First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities face conditions such as unsafe drinking water and crowded housing, linked to colonial policies, underfunding and remoteness. Communities are leading efforts to close these gaps."

Hands-on activity

Grocery cost comparison

You need: a recent grocery receipt or flyer from your area, a device, and a grown-up.

  1. Choose 5 everyday items (milk, apples, bread, eggs, cereal) and write the price in your area.
  2. With a grown-up, search for grocery prices in a northern community such as Iqaluit (news stories and the Nutrition North Canada program publish examples). Write the source and date.
  3. Compare: how many times more does each item cost?
  4. Write a short paragraph: how might higher food prices affect a family's quality of life? What helps (for example, harvesting and sharing country food, community freezers, government subsidies)?

Look for: 5 items with prices, a source and date, a calculation of the difference, and a respectful, thoughtful paragraph.

Your turn

1

Why does a high national HDI not mean everyone in Canada has a high quality of life?

2

What is a long-term drinking water advisory?

3

Name the four regions of Inuit Nunangat.

4

Why do groceries often cost more in northern communities?

5

Name two historical causes of gaps in quality of life for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.

6

What is Jordan's Principle?

7

Give one example of Indigenous-led action that improves quality of life.

More practice: warm-up

1

In what year was Nunavut created?

2

What does the TRC stand for?

3

How many Calls to Action did the TRC's final report include?

4

What is food insecurity?

5

Do all First Nations people live on reserves?

More practice: on your own

1

Explain how crowded housing can affect health and education.

2

Why is it important to name causes such as policies and funding when discussing gaps?

3

How could country food improve quality of life in the North?

4

Give an example of inequality within Canada that is not about Indigenous communities.

5

Why might a First Nation measure its well-being differently from the HDI?

Challenge

1

Explain how unsafe water, health and education are interconnected in a community under a long-term advisory.

2

Choose one TRC Call to Action theme (education, health, language or child welfare) and explain how acting on it could improve a quality-of-life indicator.

3

Write a short paragraph comparing Canada's quality of life with that of a lower-HDI country and with differences inside Canada. Use at least two indicators.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Why can Canada's national HDI hide inequalities?

2.

A long-term drinking water advisory has lasted…

3.

Which is one of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat?

4.

Which is a major historical cause of gaps in quality of life for many Indigenous communities?

5.

Jordan's Principle is about…

6.

Which statement avoids stereotypes?

For parents and teachers

What this lesson is about: comparing quality of life within Canada (B3.9, B3.2) and how factors are interconnected (B1.1), with a focus on First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities as the 2023 revised curriculum emphasizes.

How to help at home:

  • Read a recent news story or Indigenous Services Canada update on drinking water advisories together. Note the date, since numbers change.
  • Talk about how history affects the present. Residential schools may be a sensitive topic, especially for families with personal connections; you can find support through the Indian Residential School Survivors Society or the 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419).

Common difficulties:

  • Speaking about Indigenous peoples only in the past tense or only as facing problems. Encourage your child to include strengths and leadership.
  • Overgeneralizing from one community to all. Communities differ widely.