Indigenous identity of person

Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on May 12, 2026.

Definition

Indigenous identity refers to whether the person identified with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This includes those who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), and/or those who report being Registered or Treaty Indians (that is, registered under the Indian Act), and/or those who have membership in a First Nation. Aboriginal peoples of Canada (referred to here as Indigenous peoples) are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, subsection 35(2) as including "Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada".

Person refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programs.

Derivation

"Indigenous identity" is derived from three component variables: Indigenous group, Registered or Treaty Indian status, and Membership in a First Nation.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard conforms to the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations' Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 4, 2025. The UN suggests that defining the Indigenous population can be done in many ways, such as through a question on ethnic origin (that is to say, ancestry) and/or on Indigenous identity. This standard conforms to the second of the suggested approaches. However, this standard goes beyond this to capture other aspects of Indigenous identity by including the category "Indigenous responses not included elsewhere" which encompasses those who did not report being First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit) but who did report being Registered Indians or Treaty Indians as defined by the Indian Act and/or those who have membership in a First Nation. The UN provides no standard classification because countries use their own national concepts to identify the Indigenous population.

Classifications

Additional information

See:

Relation to previous version

  • Indigenous identity of person May 12, 2026 to current

    The terminology within the concept has been updated from "First Nations (North American Indian)" to "First Nations". The wording of the concept definition and the categories in the classifications have been modified, but the meaning is unchanged.

  • Indigenous identity of person April 01, 2021 to May 11, 2026

    The terminology within the concept has been updated from 'Aboriginal' to 'Indigenous' in English. The wording of the concept definition and the categories in the classifications have been reworded but the meaning is unchanged.

  • Aboriginal identity of person June 15, 2015 to March 31, 2021

    This is an update of 'Aboriginal identity of person'. The definition has been reworded but the meaning is unchanged.

  • Aboriginal identity of person April 20, 2009 to June 14, 2015

    There was a previous standard called 'Aboriginal identity' but the meaning associated with it is now conveyed by the standard 'Aboriginal group of person'.

  • Aboriginal identity June 15, 1998 to April 19, 2009

    'Aboriginal identity of person' replaces the standard 'Aboriginal identity' as of April 20, 2009.

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