A/HRC/27/52/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples examines the human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Canada on the basis of research and information gathered from various sources, including during a visit to Canada from 7 to 15 October 2013. The visit was a follow-up to the 2004 visit to and report on Canada by the previous Special Rapporteur (E/CN.4/2005/88/Add.3). During his visit, the Special Rapporteur met with government officials at the federal level and at the provincial level in six provinces. The Special Rapporteur would like to express his appreciation for the support of the Government of Canada and of the indigenous individuals, nations and organizations that provided indispensable assistance in the planning and coordination of the visit. II. Background and context 2. Over 1.4 million of Canada’s overall population of approximately 32.9 million (4.3 per cent) are indigenous, or in the terminology commonly used in Canada, aboriginal. Around half of these are registered or “status” Indians (First Nations), 30 per cent are Métis, 15 per cent are unregistered First Nations, and 4 per cent are Inuit.1 There are currently 617 First Nations or Indian bands in Canada representing more than 50 cultural groups and living in about 1,000 communities and elsewhere across the country. Canada’s indigenous population is younger and faster-growing than the rest of the Canadian population. 3. The history of indigenous peoples’ relationship with Europeans and Canada has positive aspects, such as early political and military alliances and policies of coexistence, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the related policy of the British Crown of seeking formal permission and treaty relationships with indigenous peoples before permitting settlement in their territories. There are approximately 70 recognized pre-1975 treaties that form the basis of the relationship between 364 First Nations, representing over 600,000 First Nations people, and Canada. In addition, 24 modern treaties are currently in effect. 4. However, there have also been notable episodes and patterns of devastating human rights violations, including the banning of expressions of indigenous culture and religious ceremonies; exclusion from voting, jury duty, and access to lawyers and Canadian courts for any grievances relating to land; the imposition, at times forcibly, of governance institutions; and policies of forced assimilation through the removal of children from indigenous communities and “enfranchisement” that stripped indigenous people of their aboriginal identity and membership. Most of those policies were executed through the Indian Act, a statute with nineteenth century origins. A rigidly paternalistic law at its inception, it continues to structure important aspects of Canada’s relationship with First Nations today, although efforts at reform have slowly taken place. 5. A particularly distressing part of the history of human rights violations was the residential school era (1874-1970s, with some schools operating until 1996), during which indigenous children were forced from their homes into institutions, the explicit purpose of which was to destroy their family and community bonds, their languages, their cultures and even their names. Thousands of indigenous children did not survive the experience and 1 4 Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, “Aboriginal demographics from the 2011 National Household Survey” (numbers are rounded), available from www.aadncaandc.gc.ca/eng/1370438978311/1370439050610.