The definition of an Aboriginal "community" can vary from communities either on or off reserve, within urban centres, or representing an amalgamation of several on-reserve communities.

There are many ways of defining the Aboriginal population, which can result in different estimates of its size. There is no single or "correct" definition of the Aboriginal population, and the choice of a definition depends on the purpose for which it is to be used. Different definitions/counts are used, depending on the focus and requirements of the user. (Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: Analysis Series)

"Aboriginal" has come to be the most commonly used term when referring to all the indigenous peoples of Canada. In a constitutional context, the Constitution Act, 1982 defines the Aboriginal peoples of Canada as including Indians, Inuit, and Métis. For more information, please see Words First: An Evolving Terminology Relating to Aboriginal Peoples in Canada at http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/pub/wf/index_e.html.

Generally and also in Canada's Performance, Indians are referred to as "First Nations peoples." They are the largest Aboriginal group in Canada, comprising more than 600,000 people (out of the Aboriginal population of close to one million). A "First Nation" generally refers to an Indian band. First Nations peoples live across Canada and are very diverse in language and cultural values; for example, there are 11 First Nations linguistic families (that include between 53 and 70 languages) in Canada. (Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Vol. 3, 1997)

Status Indians are people who are entitled to have their names included in the Indian Register, an official list maintained by the federal government. Certain criteria determine who can be registered as a Status Indian. Only Status Indians are recognized as Indians under the Indian Act, which defines an Indian as "a person who, pursuant to this Act, is registered as an Indian or is entitled to be registered as an Indian." Status Indians are entitled to certain rights and benefits under the law.

Non-Status Indians are people who consider themselves Indians or members of a First Nation but whom the Government of Canada does not recognize as Indians under the Indian Act, either because they are unable to prove their status or have lost their status rights. Many Indian people in Canada, especially women, lost their Indian status through discriminatory practices in the past. Non-Status Indians are not entitled to the same rights and benefits available to Status Indians.

A Treaty Indian is a Status Indian who belongs to a First Nation that signed a treaty with the Crown.

The Inuit live in arctic and subarctic Canada, in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and the northern parts of Labrador and Quebec. There are approximately 45,000 Canadian Inuit; they share many similarities of language and cultural values.

Métis are a distinct cultural group composed of people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry. In the 2001 Census, 292,000 people identified themselves as Métis. The Canadian Constitution recognizes the Métis people as one of the three Aboriginal peoples.

The 2001 Census conducted by Statistics Canada provides data that are based on the definitions of "ethnic origin" (ancestry), "Aboriginal identity," "Registered Indian," and "Band membership." Since the 1996 Census, there have been two different sets of data available on Aboriginals–one covering the "Aboriginal Ancestry" of the population and the other covering the "Aboriginal Identity" of the population. Before 1996, the identification of Aboriginal persons was derived from a question on ancestry, though in 1996, a new question on Aboriginal identity was added to the Census. Statistics Canada stipulates that Aboriginal Identity data should not be compared with Aboriginal Ancestry (ethnic origin) data.

• "Aboriginal Ancestry/Origin" refers to those persons who reported at least one Aboriginal ancestor (North American Indian, Métis, or Inuit) on the ethnic origin question in the Census. The question asks about the ethnic or cultural group(s) to which the respondent's ancestors belong.
• "Aboriginal identity" refers to those persons who reported identifying with at least one Aboriginal group (e.g. North American Indian, Métis, or Inuit). Also included are individuals who did not report an Aboriginal identity but did report themselves as a Registered or Treaty Indian, and/or indicated Band or First Nation membership.
• "Registered, Status, or Treaty Indian" refers to those who reported they were registered under the Indian Act. Treaty Indians are persons who are registered under the Indian Act and can prove descent from a Band that signed a treaty. The term "Treaty Indian" is more widely used in the Prairie provinces.

CO2 equivalentis the amount of CO₂ that would cause the same effect as a given amount or mixture of other greenhouse gases.

"Economic growth"refers to the expansion of the national income–the total production of goods and services of a country over a given period.

Ecosystems are biological communities of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Emissions are created by releasing a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

"Employment Equity" and "affirmative action" refer to various measures designed to eliminate discrimination and remedy the effects of past discrimination against designated groups, usually in the area of employment. The Employment Equity Act identifies four designated groups: visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, women, and persons with disabilities. In Canada, affirmative action plans in relation to employment are called "employment equity plans," while those that relate to education are sometimes called "education equity plans." The term "affirmative action," usually limited to U.S. policies, is used here only to reflect the exact wording employed in the mentioned survey. (Source: Environics, Focus Canada–Multiculturalism and Ethnic Tolerance, 2004)

Any specific activity that requires energy (e.g. refrigeration, space heating, water heating, manufacturing process, and feedstock), categorized by the broadest category for which energy consumption and intensity are considered within the Canadian economy (e.g. residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation).

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) are gases in the atmosphere that trap energy from the sun. Naturally occurring GHGs include water vapour (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and ozone (O₃). Without them, the Earth's average temperature would be about 33°C lower than it is, making the climate too cold to support life (Schneider, 1989). While these naturally occurring gases are what make life possible, a serious concern today is the enhanced effect on the climate system of increased levels of some of these gases in the atmosphere, due mainly to human activities.

GERD is a key indicator of government and private-sector efforts to obtain competitive advantage in science and technology. It is the total expenditure on research and development (R&D) performed on the national territory during a given period. It excludes R&D expenditures financed by domestic firms but performed abroad. (OECD Factbook, 2005)

Previously known as the "G-7 plus 1," the G-8 is an informal group of eight countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each year, G8 leaders and representatives from the European Union meet to discuss broad economic and foreign policies. The difference between the G-7 and the G-8 is that Russia does not participate in some G-7 sessions on economic affairs.

The G-7 consists of the world's seven largest industrial market economies: the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada. The leaders of these countries meet annually to discuss political and economic issues of mutual concern. In addition, G-7 finance ministers meet several times a year to discuss economic policy. Their work is supported by regular, functional meetings of officials, including the G-7 finance deputies.

Population health assessment consists of measuring, monitoring, and reporting on the status of population health by establishing regional centres of excellence in public health and laboratory facilities to advance understanding and action on key priority areas, such as communicable disease epidemiology.

"Health prevention" refers to prevention of specific diseases, injuries, and social problems, e.g. alcohol and drug abuse programs, family violence initiatives, and work safety.

"Health promotion" refers to actions taken that affect overall health and well-being, e.g. healthy food and nutrition, sanitation, early childhood development, occupational health and safety, and the promotion and development of physical activity and sport.

Health protection includes a wide range of preventive and emergency services, from responding to threats from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (SARS, avian flu) to immunization; establishing health emergency response teams; replenishing the National Emergency Stockpile System with the necessary supplies (portable hospitals, mini-clinics, blankets, etc.); expanding the Canadian Field Epidemiology Program to address human resources shortages in this important area; understanding and responding to environmental health issues; and providing funding for fellowships, bursaries, chairs, and community-based public health apprenticeships.

"Health surveillance" may be defined as the tracking and forecasting of any health event or health determinant through the continuous collection of high-quality data, the integration, analysis, and interpretation of those data into surveillance products (e.g. reports, advisories, alerts, and warnings), and the dissemination of those surveillance products to those who need to know.

The term "acceptable housing" is used by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to refer to housing that is in adequate physical condition, of suitable size, and affordable. All three conditions must be met for housing to be acceptable.

• "Adequate housing" refers to dwellings that are reported by their residents as not requiring any major repairs (defined as such items as defective plumbing or electrical wiring, or structural repairs to walls, floors, or ceilings).
• "Suitable housing" refers to dwellings that have enough bedrooms for the size and make-up of resident households, according to the National Occupancy Standard requirements.
• "Affordable housing" refers to dwellings that cost less than 30 per cent of before-tax household income.

A household is said to be in core housing need if its housing falls below at least one of the adequacy, suitability, or affordability standards, and it would have to spend 30 per cent or more of its before-tax income to pay the median rent of alternative local housing.

Labour costs include wages, statutory benefits such as government pension plans, and other benefits provided by the employer.

Consists of the number of people aged 15 and over who are employed (that is, those who currently have jobs) and unemployed (that is, those who do not have jobs but who are actively looking for work). Individuals who do not fall into either of these groups–such as retired people and discouraged workers–are not included in the calculation of the labour force.

Natural capital is the costed and uncosted environmental stocks and systems that provide us with the many natural materials and services upon which we rely to sustain economic activity, including natural resources, land, water, and ecosystems.

According to World Health Organization and Health Canada guidelines, a person whose Body Mass Index is greater than or equal to 30.0 is considered obese. A person with a Body Mass Index of 25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight.

"Off reserve" is a term used to describe people, services, or objects that are not part of a reserve but relate to First Nations.

Ozone is one of smog's main ingredients. It is an air pollutant that can irritate the lungs and make breathing dangerously difficult for people with asthma or other lung ailments. Most ozone at ground level is formed as urban air pollutants mix together on hot summer days.

A patent family is a set of patents taken in multiple countries to protect the same invention. (OECD, 2005)

A reserve is tract of land, the legal title to which is held by the Crown, set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band. Some bands have more than one reserve.

Publications are a tangible indicator of the transfer of research findings to the public domain, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal is an indicator of a positive scientific evaluation of the information.

Secondary energy use is the energy used by final consumers for residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation purposes. In other terms, it is the energy that Canadians use to heat and cool their homes and workplaces and to operate their appliances, vehicles, and factories.

Social capital is the relationships, networks, and norms that facilitate collective action, including both formal and informal institutional arrangements. (OECD, 2001)

Total expenditures on culture include expenditures on the entire spectrum of cultural, artistic, and heritage activities such as national, public, and school libraries; museums; public archives; historic and nature parks and sites; literary arts; performing arts; arts education; visual arts, films, and videos; broadcasting; sound recording; and cultural facilities, centres, and festivals. For more detailed information, see Statistics Canada, The Daily, January 27, 2005.

A triadic patent family is a set of patents registered at all three of the largest patent offices: the European Patent Office, the Japanese Patent Office, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (OECD 2005)

A wildlife species is any species, subspecies, variety, or geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant, or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus, that is wild by nature and either is native to Canada or has extended its range into Canada without human intervention and has been present in Canada for at least 50 years. (Source: COSEWIC, http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct5/index_e.cfm)