General portrait

Geography

The Innu nation numbers some 15,000 people, making it the second largest aboriginal nation in Québec.

In Québec, the Innu, who used to be known as the Montagnais, mainly live in nine communities. Seven are located along a 900-kilometre stretch bordering the St. Lawrence River, from Tadoussac up to the Labrador border. The other two communities live on the edge of Lac Saint-Jean and at the heart of the northern region of Québec, near the Labrador border.

The traditional territory of the Innu nation is the boreal forest, which covers all of the large administrative regions of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the Côte-Nord and the northern part of the Capitale-Nationale region (Québec). A people of hunters and gatherers, the Innu are nomads who have been forced to settle. The Innu language and culture are still very much alive in most communities.

Socioeconomic profile

A young population

According to the 2001 census, one-third of the Innu living on Indian reserves are under 15 years of age, whereas in Québec, as in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and on the Côte-Nord, less than one-fifth of the population is under 15 years of age.

A population with a low education level

Based on the 2001 census, more than half of the Innu population 20 to 34 years of age and living on Indian reserves has not completed high school. In Québec, only 16% of the population of this same age group has not completed high school.

A population that is under-represented on the work market

According to the 1996 census, less than one-third of the Innu population aged 15 or older and living on the Indian reserves held a job at that time. Meanwhile, close to half the population aged 15 or over held a job in Québec, as in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and on the Côte-Nord, at that time.

The case of Essipit

The data of the 2001 census show that the unemployment rate among the Innu of Essipit is below that of the neighbouring RCM and that consequently, Innu income is higher. However, it is important to note that the economic situation of both Essipit and the Upper Côte-Nord is below the Québec average.

Language, culture and economy

The nine Innu communities are very different from one another whether from the standpoint of their geographical or socioeconomic situation and size or from that of the presence within the community of the Innu language and culture.

The Innu language is the mother tongue used in almost all of the communities. French is the second language everywhere, except in Pakuashipi where English is also used.

The Innu have set up several organizations in various activity fields with a view to promoting the blossoming and dissemination of their culture as well as their economic development. The Institut culturel et éducatif montagnais (ICEM) and the Corporation de développement économique montagnaise (CDEM) are examples of such organizations.