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Indigenous Education

Indigenous Present & Future

Indigenous people in the 21st century are leaders, writers, filmmakers, scholars, athletes, and artists, and they come from remarkably diverse indigenous communities. Notable Indigenous people have brought prestige to modern-day Canada. Here are a few history-makers:

  • Dr. Nadine Caron: Canada’s first female First Nations surgeon. She is also a researcher and faculty member at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
  • Jeremy Dutcher: classically-trained, First Nations tenor, composer, musicologist, performer, and actor, who has won a JUNO music award.
  • Tantoo Cardinal: Cree/Métis actor, likely the most recognizable Indigenous actress in North America (Maclean’s, 2019). Cardinal has worked on shows and films like Dances with Wolves, Westworld, Legends of the Fall, and Outlander. Indigenous people continue to inspire and shape the future of Canada. 
             Image: Tantoo Cardinal, actor & activist. Courtesy of Dreamcatcher Bios.

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Here & Now

Across Canada, there are more than 1.67 million Indigenous people (4.9% of the population of Canada), living in every province and territory (Census of Population, 2016). Indigenous peoples make up the largest proportion of the population in Nunavut (86%), the Northwest Territories (51%), and the Yukon Territory (23%), followed by Manitoba (18%) and Saskatchewan (16%) (Government of Canada, 2020).

Source: Annual Report to Parliament 2020, Government of Canada.

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