7 Conclusions

In summary, the NHS provides an essential part of the information on Aboriginal people in Canada. There are no other sources of information that can provide detailed socioeconomic information for such small domains of interest. The Aboriginal population estimates may change over time due to demographic growth and for a number of other non-demographic reasons. Users of NHS data on Aboriginal people should be aware of changes that affect the interpretation of the data, especially when comparing between past censuses and the 2011 National Household Survey.

For concepts and variables, it was noted that although measuring the same concepts, the four NHS questions differ slightly from the comparable Aboriginal questions on the 2006 Census. The question wording was modified to reflect current terminology and ensure ongoing accuracy when measuring the Aboriginal population.

There were changes noted in a number of survey and statistical processes; among them sampling, collection, processing and estimation. The NHS had a number of differences from the 2006 Census long form, for example in terms of the voluntary nature of the survey, the sampling fraction, collection strategies and response options (e.g., more people used the Internet option) and a lower response rate including different approach to adjust for non-response.

The coverage of the NHS also differs from the past. The universe for the 2011 NHS represents a different population than the one covered by the 2006 Census. The target population for the 2006 Census long form includes usual residents in collective dwellings and persons living abroad whereas the target population for the NHS excludes them. The list of incompletely enumerated Indian reserves and Indian settlement is also different. Finally, unlike previous collection periods, the NHS collection of the 13 Indian reserves or Indian settlements in Northern Ontario is a unique circumstance where survey data has been collected where the census enumeration was not done.

Other changes that affected the results were outside the survey data collection process. Legislative changes, for example Bill C-31 in 1985 and Bill C-3 in 2011, which affect concepts such as Aboriginal identity and Registered or Treaty Indian status and changes made to the definition of reserves, will have an impact on the interpretation of the information collected.