While a Statistics Canada survey shows native people not living on reserves have a six per cent higher unemployment rate than non-natives with the same level of education, the director of economic development in Akwesasne says that has little reflection on the level of employment amongst his people.
"I think you'd be hard-pressed to find many native people working in retail or factories in Cornwall," said Vaughn Sunday.
"When Domtar laid-off 800 workers at one point, we lost one of those jobs; a secretary I think . . . I challenge you to find many natives working in Cornwall."
Sunday attributed the lack of people from Akwesasne working in the city to lack of historical need for employment outside of the community and a dearth of employment opportunities in the Mohawk territory.
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne employs approximately 1,000 people, there are about 230 private businesses located there, and the skilled
trades keep many natives employed and travelling to construction jobs.
Economically, Sunday said Akwesasne is better off than most native territories.
Stats Can's Labour Force Survey also showed not having a high school diploma hurt aboriginal adults even more because their unemployment lagged 14 per cent below that of non-natives.
Sunday said the lack of a high school diploma decreases native peoples' ability to find work as much as any because it's a minimum requirement to obtaining work in skilled trades and general labour.
Although Akwesasne doesn't participate in Stats Canada surveys or the census, Sunday said the survey results at least serve to highlight the growing unemployment problem.
"Hopefully it will bring more attention to the plight of native people," he said. "It might prompt the politicians to do something about it."