Report says more must be done to close the socio-economic gaps betwen aboriginals and non-aboriginals. We see eight children of elementary school age playing on the floor of a run-down classroom. They play in front of yellow and red lockers with cartons placed atop that run mostly to the ceiling. An exposed pipe rises to the right. A  support board to the right is only half painted. The door to the bathroom has been removed and sits against the wall next to bathroom. On a wall above the children is a large map of the world.

Report says more must be done to close the socio-economic gaps between aboriginals and non-aboriginals.
Photo Credit: CP Photo / Troy Fleece

Native economic gaps must close–report

There’s been a new call issued for Canada’s federal government to close the socio-economic gaps between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.

It comes in a report by the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, which studied more than 50 economic indicators from 2006 to 2011.

The report found that aboriginals made slight gains over the five years but noted that gaps remain “significant.”

It also found that First Nations on reserves registered the least amount of improvement.

The Board says if Ottawa wants to improve the quality of life in native communities, it must enforce First Nation treaty rights and obligations.

The Board has set a goal of achieving parity by 2022.

Elsewhere, in what many would see as a sign of progress, British Columbia announced Tuesday that students in the province will study the ongoing legacy of Canada’s residential schools when new curriculum is implemented this fall.

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