Where do First Nations people live today?

Canada recognizes three distinct Aboriginal peoples: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. According to Discover Canada, about 65% of Aboriginal people in Canada are First Nations, while 30% are Métis and 4% are Inuit. First Nations are by far the largest Aboriginal group, and where they live today reflects a long history of treaties, government policy, and modern migration patterns shaped by economic opportunity, education, and family ties spanning every region of the country.

Today, approximately half of First Nations people live on reserves — lands set aside for First Nations communities under treaties and federal legislation — while the other half live in urban centres across Canada, including major cities such as Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Many First Nations members move between the two, maintaining strong ties to their home communities while pursuing employment, education, or healthcare in cities. Reserves are often located in rural or remote regions, and they remain the cultural, political, and spiritual heart of many First Nations, even for members who have relocated to urban areas.

This pattern stands in contrast to the other two Aboriginal peoples. The Inuit, whose name means “the people” in the Inuktitut language, live in small, scattered communities across the Arctic, where their knowledge of the land, sea and wildlife enabled them to adapt to one of the harshest environments on earth. The Métis are a distinct people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry, the majority of whom live in the Prairie provinces; they come from both French- and English-speaking backgrounds and speak their own dialect, Michif. Together, these three groups form the constitutionally recognized Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

This question matters because the Constitution of Canada recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples — a principle so fundamental that new citizens swear to uphold it in the Oath of Citizenship. Knowing where First Nations people live today helps newcomers understand modern Canada: reserves remain centres of self-government, language, and tradition, while urban Indigenous populations have built thriving cultural organizations, friendship centres, and professional networks in every major city.

In today’s Canada, Aboriginal peoples enjoy renewed pride and confidence, and have made significant achievements in agriculture, the environment, business and the arts. The roughly 50/50 split between reserve and urban life shapes federal–provincial responsibilities, treaty negotiations, and the delivery of education, housing, and health services that newcomers will encounter throughout Canadian civic life.