Census in Canada


conducts a national census of population and census of agriculture every five years.
The Census of Population provides demographic and statistical data that is used to plan public services such as health care, education, and transportation; determine federal transfer payments; and determine the number of Members of Parliament for each province and territory. The Census of Population is the primary source of sociodemographic data for specific population groups, such as lone-parent families, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, seniors and language groups. Data from the census is also used to assess the economic state of the country, including the economic conditions of immigrants over time, and labour market activity of communities and specific populations. Census data are also leveraged to develop socioeconomic status indicators in support of analysis of various impacts on education achievement and outcomes. At a sub-national level, two provinces and two territories have legislation that allows local governments to conduct their own municipal censuses.
The Census of Population gathers important data on a variety of topics, including:
There have been questions about religion in Canada in the national census since 1871. In 1951, when the frequency of conducting the national census changed from being collected every 10 years to every 5 years, questions about religion were still asked only every 10 years. Questions on religion were not included in the last census, which occurred in 2016, but it will be included in the 2021 Census as questions on religion are included in census years that end in “1”.

History

The first census in what is now Canada took place in New France in 1666, under the direction of Intendant Jean Talon. The census noted the age, sex, marital status and occupation of 3,215 inhabitants.
French-controlled Acadia also took their own census from 1671 to 1755.
It is notable that section 8 of the Constitution Act, 1867 mandates that a national census must be done every 10 years, on years ending in 1. However, the section has been interpreted to mean that a census cannot be conducted beyond that 10-year period, but this does not indicate that a census cannot be conducted more regularly—such as every 5 years, as is now required of Statistics Canada by the Statistics Act.
The first national census of Canada was taken in 1871, as required by section 8 of the then British North America Act, 1867. Parliament implemented the requirements of the constitution through the Census Act of May 12, 1870. All inhabitants of Canada were surveyed, including Indigenous peoples. While this was the first national census, only the four provinces that were part of the Dominion of Canada at the time—Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia—were included in the census. Other areas that would later become part of Canada continued to be enumerated with their own separate censuses. The results of the 1871 Census were reported in a five-volume set in 1873, in both English and French.
In 1881, the governing legislation was amended to require census takers to take an oath of secrecy. By this time, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, and British Columbia were part of Canada and included in the national census, as was the Northwest Territories.
Beginning in 1906, the Prairie provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan began to take separate censuses of population and agriculture every five years to monitor growth in the West. After becoming part of Canada in 1949, Newfoundland has been included in the Canadian census since 1951. Since 1956, the Census of Agriculture and the Census of Population have been taken together every five years across the entire country.
In 1912, the federal government transferred responsibility for conducting the census from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Trade and Commerce. In 1918, the government established the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, which was renamed Statistics Canada in 1971. Statistics Canada continues to be responsible for the census.

Accessibility, disclosure, and publication

All census records prior to and including the 1926 Census are publicly available at Library and Archives Canada. Bill S-18, An Act to Amend the Statistics Act, received Royal Assent on June 18, 2005. The act creates section 18.1 of the Statistics Act, which releases personal census records to LAC for censuses taken between 1910 and 2005, inclusive, 92 years after the taking of a census. In the 2006 Census, Canadians were asked for the first time whether they consent to the release of their personal census information after 92 years. This means that 2006 Census records will be released to LAC in 2098 only for those respondents who consented to the release of their records. Census returns taken after 1926 are in the custody of Statistics Canada and disclosure of personal information from these records is not permitted. The only exception is for individuals who require information about themselves.
Statistics Canada has implemented stringent procedures to protect the confidentiality of census information per the Statistics Act, such as requiring employees be sworn to secrecy when they are hired, and limiting access to personal and confidential information to those with a need to know to complete their work. Questionnaires completed online are protected through a number of measures, including a secure login process and encryption between the user’s browser and Statistics Canada’s servers. Census data are processed and stored on a highly restricted internal network.
The Census of Population Program enables the production and publication of many free resources to the public, including, but not limited to, data products, reference materials, geographical information and data visualization tools released within two years after a census is conducted.

Highlights

Highlights of the census history in Canada include:
• 1666 – The first Canadian census was taken in New France by Intendant Jean Talon. The recorded population was 3,215. Information was collected on age, sex, marital status and locality. In addition, the census identified professions and trades for 763 people.
• 1666 to 1867 – Numerous censuses were taken at irregular intervals in the colonies of France and Britain that became parts of Canada. Extant records held by Library and Archives Canada and commonly used for research include 1825, 1831, 1842, 1852, and 1861.
• 1867 – The Constitution Act, 1867 included the requirement that a census must be taken every 10 years to determine representation by population in the new parliament.
• 1871 – The first decennial census was taken in this year. The census enumerated the population of the four original provinces. Manitoba and British Columbia, which had also joined Confederation, were surveyed separately. For the first time, questions on religion and birthplace were asked in the census.
The 1871 Census was the first to use the de jure method of enumeration rather than the de facto method used in Europe both then and now. The de facto method enumerates people where they are found on Census Day. The de jure method enumerates people according to their usual place of residence.
• 1881 – All census enumerators were required to take an oath of secrecy—a pledge still required today. The census was extended to include British Columbia, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
• 1891 – The population was prepared for the census enumerator’s visit through announcements in newspapers and from pulpits.
• 1896 – A mid-decade census was held in Manitoba beginning in 1896 and then in Saskatchewan and Alberta beginning in 1906. These censuses were needed to measure the rapid growth taking place in the West.
• 1901 – Census content was expanded to include citizenship and period of immigration.
• 1905 – The census office became a permanent bureau of the federal government.
• 1906 – Beginning in 1906, the Prairie provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan began to take separate censuses of population and agriculture every five years to monitor the growth of the West.
• 1912 – Responsibility for conducting the census was transferred from the former Ministry of Agriculture to the former Ministry of Trade and Commerce.
• 1918 – The Dominion Bureau of Statistics was created.
• 1931 – Even though compilation and tabulation for the 1931 Census were still carried out with mechanical equipment, a new sorter-tabulator developed by an employee of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics made production 50 times faster by allowing a whole data card to be read at once, rather than one column at a time.
• 1941 – Sample information was collected for the first time, meaning that 1 in 10 households were asked additional content about their dwelling.
• 1951 –The 1951 Census, held two years after Newfoundland became part of Canada, marked Canada’s first census as a nation of 10 provinces and 2 territories. The 1951 Census used “mark-sense.” This technology allowed punch cards to be generated, greatly reducing processing time and costs.
• 1956 – A quinquennial Census of Population and Census of Agriculture was held in all provinces across the country, replacing the mid-decade censuses of the Prairie provinces.
• 1971 – Under the Statistics Act of 1971, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics was renamed Statistics Canada. The act also confirmed that a Census of Population and a Census of Agriculture would be taken every five years.
Self-enumeration was first introduced in 1971. With the exception of Indigenous reserves and remote areas where canvassing was deemed necessary due to logistical reasons and other limitations, census questionnaires and completion instructions were dropped off at private homes and respondents were asked to complete their own questionnaires. In population centres of 10,000 people or more, respondents were asked to mail their completed questionnaires back in a pre-addressed envelope. In other areas, questionnaires were picked up by census enumerators.
• 1991 – All respondents in self-enumeration areas were asked to return their completed census questionnaires by mail. The final return rate was 85%, and 27 million people in over 10 million households were counted. Information on common-law partners was also collected for the first time. The definition of spouse was expanded to include same-sex married couples.
• 2001 – The May 15, 2001 Canadian Census enumerated 30,007,094 people. representing a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. For the first time, data were collected on same-sex couples.
• 2006 – The May 16, 2006 Canadian Census, which enumerated 31,612,897 people, took place shortly after the Conservative Party of Canada, under Stephen Harper, won the January 23, 2006 Canadian federal election to lead the 39th Canadian Parliament in session from April 3, 2006 until September 7, 2008. According to a 2006 Statistics Canada report, the Canadian public responded positively to an online option—which meant that all Canadians could answer the mandatory long-form census questionnaire online for the first time. This positive response to the online option in 2006, prompted a major change in methodology for the 2011 Census. Census questionnaires were delivered by Canada Post to about 70% of households. The remaining 30% received the questionnaire from an enumerator, as in previous censuses. Nationally, 18.5% of Canadian households completed their questionnaire online. In 2006, Canada Post delivered census forms by mail to 70% of Canadian residents. The remaining 30% of households received their forms from census enumerators. Twenty percent of households received the long questionnaire, which consisted of 53 questions. The short from census had eight questions. This was also the first time people were asked if they agreed to have their personal information released in 92 years for the purposes of research and education. Respondents were also asked whether they would give Statistics Canada permission to access their tax files. This permission was sought in an effort to reduce response burden. New questions were added to the long 2006 Census regarding income received from child benefits and income tax paid. The census also requested permission to use income information from an individual's income tax file to access this information. The Census requested that personal information be accessed and made public in 92 years. The question on religion which is asked every ten years was asked in 2001, so was not included in the 2006 census. The question on highest level of education of individuals replaced the question on the number of years of schooling received.
• 2011 – The May 10, 2011 Canadian Census counted a population of 33,476,688 residents of Canada, included a mandatory short form census questionnaire and the newly introduced voluntary National Household Survey. which former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper had issued to replace the mandatory long-form census. The response rate of the mandatory short-form census was 98.1%. The voluntary NHS "had a significantly smaller response rate," according to a 2019 CTV News article. The replacement with the long form mandatory census with the voluntary NHS, introduced by then Prime Minister Harper, resulted in the 2010s Canadian census controversy. The same questions asked in the 2006 short form census were asked in the 2011 census along with two new questions on language. The question on language was added as a result of a lawsuit brought against the federal government and federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement by the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities. The Federation said in their lawsuit that unless the census was mandatory there lack of accurate data on language would negatively impact funding for language-related government services. The federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement's announcement that questions about language would appear on the mandatory short-form census came in response to a lawsuit brought by the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities, which claimed that the voluntary status of the long-form census would impact language-related government services. A New York Times August 2015 article said that the federal government had "stripped Canada of its capacity to gather information about itself" in the "age of information" by ending the mandatory long-form census in 2011. The Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Catholic Council of Bishops protested the Harper administration's substitution of the NHS and the short form census to replace the long form Census in 2011..
• 2016 – The May 10, 2016 Canadian Census conducted by Statistics Canada, which was the seventh quinquennial census, counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. One of the their first acts of the newly-elected Liberal legislature during the Premiership of Justin Trudeau, was the restoration of the long-form census—which was again made mandatory—and the cancellation of the voluntary NHS. The Trudeau administration cited a "commitment to evidence-based policies". According to a 2019 CTV News report, the "decision to conduct the long-form census was heralded as a win for informed decision-making, and representation of the diversity in Canada." Most households received the short-form census questionnaire, while one in four households received the long-form questionnaire. The overall response at the end of collection for the 2016 Census was 98.4%, including 68.4% of responses received online, placing Canada at the forefront internationally for internet collection on a census.