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 (excluding Indigenous peoples and royal troops) 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 (formerly the
British North America Act, 1867) included the requirement that a census must be taken every 10 years (decennially) 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 (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario). 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 federal government took separate census of population and agriculture in the three prairie provinces of Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan 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. •
1921 – The Sixth Census of Canada (1921) was the first national census to collect data on the type of tenure (owner vs tenant) for Canadian households. •
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 (type, number of rooms, cooking fuel used, etc.). •
1951 –The 1951 census, held two years after Newfoundland (including Labrador) 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 (every five years) 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 (quinquennially). 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 (over 98% of the population) 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. •
2001 – For the first time, data were collected on same-sex couples. •
2006 – 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. For the first time, all Canadians could answer the census questionnaire online. This was received positively by Canadians. Nationally, 18.5% of Canadian households completed their questionnaire online. 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. The definition of spouse was expanded to include same-sex married couples. •
2011 – The response to the online option in 2006 prompted a major change in methodology for the 2011 census. In May, a letter was delivered to 60% of Canadian dwellings. This letter replaced the traditional paper questionnaire and explained how respondents could complete the questionnaire online. About 20% of dwellings received a questionnaire package by mail. For the remaining 20%, questionnaires were dropped off by enumerators. Information previously collected by the mandatory long-form census questionnaire was collected as part of the new voluntary National Household Survey (NHS). The 2011 Census of Population questionnaire (short form) consisted of the same content as the 2006 census short-form questionnaire, with the addition of two questions on language. •
2016 – In November 2015, the government reinstated the long-form census questionnaire, replacing the NHS. Most households (75%) received the short-form census questionnaire, while one in four households (25%) 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. == See also ==