Refers to those persons who reported they were registered under the Indian Act of Canada. Treaty Indians are persons who are registered under the Indian Act and can prove descent from a band that signed a treaty. Although there was a question in the 1991 Census on registration status, the layout of the 1996 question was somewhat different. In 1991, Question 16 on Registered Indians had two components. In the first part of the question, respondents were asked about their registration status, while the second part of the question dealt with band membership. The question used in 1996 asked only for registration or treaty status, while band membership was dealt with in a separate question.
The wording of the question, starting in 1996, differs slightly from the one in previous censuses. Prior to 1996, the term 'treaty' was not included in the question. It was added in 1996 at the request of individuals from the Western provinces, where the term is more widely used.
The 2006 Census question is the same as the one used in 1996 and 2001.