Half of Status First Nations’ Children, in Canada, lives in poverty, a troubling figure that jumps to nearly two-thirds, in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, says a newly released report. The poverty rate is staggering. “A 50 percent poverty rate is unlike any other poverty rate, for any other disadvantaged group in the country, by a long shot, the worst” said David Macdonald, a senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and co-author of the report. The study, released late Tuesday, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Save the Children Canada, found that the poverty rate of Status First Nations’ Children, living on reserves, was triple that of non-indigenous children. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 62 and 64 percent of Status First Nations’ Children were living below the poverty line, compared with 15 and 16 percent among non-indigenous children in the provinces. Poverty rates among Status First Nations’ Children are, consistently, higher across the country. Co-author, Daniel Wilson, cautions that for many of them, the depth of the poverty… is actually greater than the numbers themselves tell you. “Imagine any typical First Nations’ Children living on a reserve”, said Wilson, a former diplomat and policy specialist.