Does the Indian Act Influence the Income and Education Outcomes of Manitoban Urban Indian People?

Abstract

This article answers the question, 'is the influence of the Indian Act associated with worse economic income and education outcomes in Manitoba? This investigation focuses on the category of Aboriginal persons who self-reported as First Nations and compared the economic outcome of Status Indians (those affected by the Indian Act) with those of non-Status Indians. This paper's principal contribution to the field is that it assesses empirically the effect of the Indian Act on the economic outcomes of the Indian population in Manitoba using the 2011 NHS individual data. The results indicate that being a Status Indian is associated with a lower probability of higher economic outcomes in terms of income and education.