Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update

Abstract

This report estimates the economic benefits associated with the closure of key labour market gaps facing First Nations people in Canada relative to non-Indigenous Canadians. The primary focus is the educational attainment gap, though gaps in average employment income and employment rates conditional on educational attainment are also estimated. The report provides an update to earlier CSLS reports using 2016 Census data. Progress made over the last decade in eliminating these gaps is assessed. The cumulative economic benefits associated with the closure of the education gap could be as large as $265 billion, and the cumulative economic benefits associated with closure of all three gaps could be as large as $457 billion.

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