A modified version of the framework used for the How Canada Performs society report card is used to assess social performance in the territories relative to the national average. Measures of poverty, income distribution, income mobility, and gender and racial wage gaps are used to compare levels of equity in the territories. A suite of indicators including participation in the labour market and
... [Show full abstract] traditional activities, voter turnout, rates of homicides, burglaries, and suicides, and residents’ reported life satisfaction are used to compare levels of social cohesion. When assessing social outcomes in the territories, we need to consider the context that helps explain why average territorial performance is distinct from and, in many cases, lower than the provincial averages in the How Canada Performs society report card. First, the geography of the territories affects many of the equity and social cohesion indicators in the report card. For example, the vast distances between many communities can be a barrier to individuals seeking post-secondary education, which then affects their ability to obtain higher-skilled employment. This, in turn, can affect rates of labour market participation and, consequently, unemployment—an important indicator of social outcomes. Second, while the overall population of the territories is small, it includes substantial Indigenous populations that face distinct historical, cultural, and socio-economic challenges, including the impacts of residential schools. Although culturally diverse, First Nation, Métis, and Inuit populations in Canada share demographic features that distinguish them from non-Indigenous populations. Notably, the Indigenous populations of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are much younger than the Canadian average, and the Indigenous populations of the territories make up about 51 per cent of the population North of 60. Third, data for all the indicators used to benchmark social outcomes for the provinces and peer countries are not available for the territories. For example, there are no internationally comparable data for the territories on poverty and income inequality—key indicators in the society report card. Smaller population sizes and issues of confidentiality, language barriers, and the unique challenges of engaging rural and remote Indigenous communities in the territories account for a large part of data gaps.
