Comparative Analysis of the North Saskatchewan And
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Photo by: Alcangel144 on Pixabay COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN AND YUKON INDIGENOUS LABOUR MARKETS 2006 TO 2020 Policy North (North West Saskatchewan Policy Unit) Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy University of Saskatchewan Kirk Hall Building, 117 Science Place Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8 Canada June 2020 POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN POLICY UNIT) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Datasets and logic ............................................................................................................................ 5 3. indigenous labour market statistics, census 2006 and 2016 ........................................................... 6 4. Educational attainment cross referenced to labour force ............................................................ 11 4.1 Progress? Far North and Yukon Census Educational Attainment ....................................... 13 4.2 Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Capacity ............................................................................ 16 4.3 Education and Income Briefly Correlated ........................................................................... 18 5. Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship ....................................................................................... 20 6. SEPH Data and Census Household Income .................................................................................... 21 7. EI beneficiairies data ...................................................................................................................... 22 8. Other Factors for Future Research ................................................................................................ 24 9. Lessons and Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 25 10. Statistical Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 28 2016 Census Based Report ............................................................................................................ 28 2006 Census Based Reports ........................................................................................................... 29 Other Reports ................................................................................................................................ 29 www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | i POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN POLICY UNIT) First Minister’s round tables on the economy, 1. INTRODUCTION health, transportation, and even down to the national statistical council. The North is all too often seen as a homogenous region by southern Canadians and Figure 1: Comparing Two Circumpolar our Federal government, yet those of us living Communities, 2016 the northern reality we know that there are as CATEGORIES SASK, YUKON SASK. many different Norths each with different FAR socio-economic profiles and different needs and NORTH Population 2016 36850 35110 1070555 challenges. This short paper compares two of Population 2006 33919 30372 992314 these “Norths” Yukon and the Far North of Percentage Change 8.6% 15.6% 7.9% Median Age 2016 Saskatchewan. These two regions exist under 23.6 33 41 very different jurisdictional regimes, one a Aboriginal Pop. Aboriginal 32205 8195 175020 semi-autonomous Territory – Yukon, the other 2016 a provincial “far” north, with no regional Pop. Aboriginal 29085 7580 141890 government body representing its residents 2006 also known as Census District 18 (CD-18) or Far Percentage Change 10.7% 8.1% 23.3% 1 Percentage North. Both jurisdictions have similarities in 87.4% 23.3% 16.3% demography and geography, although Yukon is Aboriginal 2016 Percentage 85.7% 25.0% 14.3% some 200,000sq km larger than the Aboriginal 2006 Population First Saskatchewan’s Far North. They also have 25575 8195 114570 similar mining resource economies and are Nation, 2016 Population Métis, 6435 1015 57875 considered part of the Circumpolar North 2016 region. Both regions have severe winters and Population Non- 4650 26915 895535 limited business seasons for tourism and Aboriginal, 2016 Land area (square 270,068 474,711 651,900 mineral exploration (although more winter km.) exploration happens in Saskatchewan’s Far Median Household North). Both are distant from major Canadian Earnings 2015* $ 44,494 $78,112 $67,816 urban centres: Edmonton and Vancouver for Non-Aboriginal Median Household Yukon and, Winnipeg and Edmonton for Far Earning 2015* $19,771 $61,781 $53,967 North. And both have substantial Indigenous Aboriginal communities and economies (Figure 1). *Median after-tax income of households in 2015 ($) Sources: Census of Canada 2016, CD-18, and Yukon But there are also key and substantial For example, in 2017 the Federal government differences. Yukon is a Federal Territory acting employed 476 workers in the Territory while under the Yukon Act. It has a substantial public the Yukon government listed 3914 employees. service associated that includes Territorial and Local and municipal governments had 574 Federal employees at a scale and level of workers. Finally, Aboriginal or First Nation investment unseen in Far North Although small governments, most of them operating under in population, Yukon, like NWT and Nunavut, modern treaties, tallied 1614 employees. have a seat at the Premier’s conferences, at the 1 CD-18 is Census District 18 within the Statistics Canada the label Far North for effectively the same area within its nomenclature but is commonly called Northern economic development zone regional assessments. We Saskatchewan. While the Saskatchewan government uses use these terms interchangeably. www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | 3 Comparative Analysis of the North Saskatchewan and Yukon Indigenous Labour Markets 2006 to 2020 According to the 2016 Census Far North in total Yukon’s road system connects all communities had, in total, 1520 public administration but Old Crow to the central service hub in positions, of which 1185 were occupied by Whitehorse. Aboriginal people. Those are 6578 high paying Yukon also had one of the fastest growing jobs in Yukon with security and benefits, or Canadians economies in the decade 2006 to 5393 more secure government pay cheques 2016. The GDP in 2012 dollars in 2016 GDP than in northern Saskatchewan. These Yukon reached $2,483 million, an increase of 43.4% government jobs provide a secure income for from the, 2006 GDP (2012 dollar) of $1,731 investment, retail purchases and taxes and million. (Statistics Canada and Executive Council stabilize the otherwise seasonal and cyclical Office of the Yukon). While requests have been northern economy. It raises a significant made to the Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics question about why Saskatchewan’s Far North response on the GDP of Far North and other has such a comparatively small administrative quests have gone unanswered due to the Covid- presence. 19 shutdown. Statistics Canada data for 2018 Secondly, Far North lacks a major urban hub shows a per capita GDP for Yukon being higher within its region. In contrast, Yukon is home to than Saskatchewan at $75,002 compared to 2 the largest Canadian city north of 60ON. $69,373. Whitehorse acts is the territorial capital, and Both Yukon and Far North have fast growing the focal point for federal government populations. The Yukon saw a 15.6% increase activities, as well as an economic development over ten years in its population, while the Far hub for the mining sector, for energy North slightly outpaced the province at 8.6% management, for retail, and warehousing and versus 7.9% for the province. For the Far North transportation, especially the Whitehorse this is attributable to natural increase; for airport. In March 2019, the Whitehorse area Saskatchewan immigration is the key factor. had a population of 32,000 people. For Far North, the cities of Saskatoon, Prince Albert, The Yukon’s Aboriginal population is also much and Battleford, all external to the Far North older than most northern Indigenous labour market, control the northern resource communities, with a mature median age of 33. hinterland, while political administration is ASs expected the comparative number for again external being in Regina and, for First Indigenous Far North is a decade younger at Nations reserves, Ottawa. Yukon has 23.6, while the province has a median age of 41. centralized its economy around Whitehorse, yet Finally, a few core differences between the still suffers extensive outflow of capital to Indigenous experiences in Far North and Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and other Yukon need to be commented upon. Far points in the south. I Saskatchewan, few of the North is a majority Indigenous region with investment decisions that impact the Far North 87.4% of the population declaring as First are made with input from the dispersed Nation or Metis, while the Yukon has communities of Far North. They are dispersed around a 23.3% Indigenous population and on separate trunk roads coming out of Prince dropping. Yukon’s Indigenous community Albert, Saskatoon, and Battleford, with many includes eleven (11) self-governing First Far Northern communities lacking road access. Nations, which adds a substantial number 2 This can be updated when SBS returns to work assuming they can generate the number. POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN POLICY UNIT) of First Nation government