Reparations: The Road to Reconciliation

Young Indigenous populations are suffering social ills at a much higher rate than other Canadians. We can see an increase in crime and health risks. In 1997, 12% of young offenders in custody were First Nations, but today it is 33% (McMahon, 2014). Aboriginal girls are at a far higher risk for teenage pregnancy, HIV infections, and chlamydia (McMahon, 2014). A possible reason for these statistics is under-investment in Indigenous education. While there are over 3100 reserves in Canada, there are only 518 on-reserve schools (Laboucane, 2010, Joseph, 2015).