--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/investing-in-aboriginal-education-in-canada-an-economic-perspective/" title: "Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:29:51+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:29:51+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Aboriginal education" - "Canada" - "economic benefits" - "GDP" - "government spending" - "Indigenous" - "labour market" - "labour shortage" - "population projections" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Fiscal Policy" - "Indigenous Economic Development" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/investing-in-aboriginal-education-in-canada-an-economic-perspective/ # Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2010-03-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Jean-François Arsenault. 2010. “Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective.” CSLS Research Report 2010-03. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/investing-in-aboriginal-education-in-canada-an-economic-perspective/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Jean-François Arsenault Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2010-03 February 2010 37 pages ## Related research [Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2023 | Report 2023-01 | 101 pages](https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/) [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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Improving the social and economic well-being of the Aboriginal population is not only a moral imperative; it is a sound investment that will pay substantial dividends in the coming decades. In particular, Canada’s Aboriginal population could play a key role in mitigating the looming long-term labour shortage caused by Canada’s aging population and low birth rate. We estimate that complete closure of both the education and the labour market outcomes gaps by 2026 would lead to cumulative benefits of $400.5 billion (2006 dollars) in additional output and $115 billion in avoided government expenditures over the 2001-2026 period. L’objectif de cet article est de résumer les recherches menées par le Centre d’étude des niveaux de vie (CSLS) sur les retombées économiques de l’amélioration des niveaux de scolarité des Autochtones. L’amélioration du bien-être social et économique de la population autochtone n’est pas seulement un impératif moral; il s’agit d’un investissement judicieux qui rapportera des dividendes substantiels au cours des prochaines décennies. En particulier, la population autochtone du Canada pourrait jouer un rôle clé dans l’atténuation de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre à long terme qui se profile en raison du vieillissement de la population canadienne et du faible taux de natalité. Nous estimons que la fermeture complète des écarts de scolarité et de résultats sur le marché du travail d’ici 2026 entraînerait des avantages cumulatifs de 400,5 milliards de dollars (en dollars de 2006) en production additionnelle et de 115 milliards de dollars en dépenses gouvernementales évitées sur la période 2001-2026. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2010-03-1.pdf)