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By 2050, aboriginals will comprise half of Sask. population

Aboriginals will comprise 50 per cent of Saskatchewan people by 2050, and they will “catch up” to the rest of the population in education and earning potential this century, a University of Saskatchewan professor says.

In a paper, as yet unpublished, exploring the future of the province’s aboriginal people, economics Prof. Eric Howe says early 20th century Eastern European immigrants overcame discrimination, poverty and a lack of education, and aboriginals will too.

“They (Eastern Europeans) were regarded by many people as racially inferior, and what happened? We got a premier, Roy Romanow, who’s of Eastern European descent, and frankly, nobody even noticed,” Howe said.

“The same thing will happen with aboriginal people,” he said. “They will become further integrated in the economic mainstream.”

Like early Eastern European settlers, aboriginal people are experiencing a population boom. Now about 13 per cent of the population, they will make up 50 per cent of Saskatchewan people by 2050, Howe said.

“The province will be transformed in a way that’s inconceivable to many residents,” Howe said.

Increased educational opportunities and entrepreneurship will bring aboriginal people up to speed, Howe said.

The incentives for getting an education are better for aboriginal women than anyone, he said.

Statistics Canada says between 1996 and 2001, the rate of aboriginal entrepreneurship in Canada was eight times that of the general population. Many are opening small businesses, such as restaurants, hair salons and stores, and others are operating casinos and hotel franchises, Howe said.

Although some aboriginal people face barriers such as poverty, addiction, culture loss and high suicide rates, Howe said these problems are not stopping them from making advances in education and business ownership.

As for when Saskatchewan will elect an aboriginal premier without the blink of an eye, Howe said he’s “a little hardpressed” to make a prediction.

“Let’s just say it’s going to define the century,” Howe said.

Roger Maaka, professor and head of the Native studies department at the University of Saskatchewan, said there’s no doubt education and business ownership are two strategies by which aboriginal people can improve their lot in life.

But he isn’t sure how fair it is to compare the successes of the Eastern Europeans in Saskatchewan a century ago to the current plight of aboriginal people.

Immigrants tend to shift to wherever opportunity lies, he said, whereas many aboriginal people want to stay in their communities, and in the province, to be close to their roots.

If the education and business ownership rate for aboriginal people matches the Canadian average, some will still lag behind, Maaka said.

“I think what you will see happen is a more segmenting of society,” he said. “You will see successful sectors of the aboriginal communities, but you’ll also have this big underclass that will remain for some time.”

Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Joe Quewezance agrees education and training must be priorities for aboriginal people. If First Nations and Metis are to become 50 per cent of the province’s population, they must update their training to meet the demands of the province’s employers, he said.

Quewezance said the degree of racism aboriginal people and Eastern European immigrants faced aren’t comparable.

“We still have a very big obstacle to face as far as discrimination and racial tendencies,” he said. “We have to be accepted in the mainstream to make a go big time in some of the employment opportunities.”
Janet French - The StarPhoenix - Thursday, April 20, 2006
source: Canada .com - http://www.canada.com/globaltv/regina/news/story.html?id=566cee89-1c32-4920-b59e-6585e0148a7e&k=17499