This paper aims to give an overview of trends regarding the fertility of Aboriginal people in Canada at the turn of the 21st century (mostly between 1996 and 2011). Total fertility rates and fertility rates by age group are presented for the Aboriginal population as a whole, but also for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, as well as for the population with Registered Indian status, using various data sources (past censuses, National Household Survey, vital statistics, and Indian Register). Results of a multivariate analysis are presented. This multivariate analysis is conducted in order to improve our understanding of the dynamic behind the fertility behaviour of the Aboriginal population.
In 2004, Registered Indian teenage girls aged 15 to 19 had a 94‰ fertility rate, 7 times the average Canadian rate for the same age group. Despite various general studies on the subject, there has been little interest in the past on the intergenerational character of teenage fertility. Analysis of data from the Indian Register of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) reveals that, among Registered Indian teenage girls, the fertility of daughters of teenage mothers is systematically higher than for daughters of mothers aged 20 or older. While it is impossible to establish a direct link of causality, the results of this study demonstrate for the first time the intergenerational nature of teenage motherhood among Registered Indian girls.
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