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The Census of Canada

Canada's census, our nation's most important survey, is taken every five years by Statistics Canada.

See About the Census, a mini-course on the census designed for teachers.

• What is the census?
• Census resources for teaching
• What is the difference between a census and a sample survey?

What is the census?

Every five years, the nation sets aside one day to conduct the census-a count of all people and households in Canada. The census is the most complete source of information about the population that we have.

Information from the census is used by federal, provincial and local governments to make important decisions on matters such as

• health care spending
• education, employment and housing programs
• fire and police protection
• transportation
• the location of schools, day-care centres, hospitals and businesses.

Every effort is made to include everyone. The census is so important because it is the only survey that provides a detailed picture of the entire population. It covers everyone at the same time and asks the same questions everywhere across Canada. This makes it easy to compare information for different parts of the country.

More about the census.

The census is conducted by Statistics Canada, our nation's statistical agency. In addition to the census, Statistics Canada conducts hundreds of surveys every year on virtually all aspects of Canadian life.

More about Statistics Canada.

Census resources for teaching

Census results are a gold mine of information about our country's population-families, immigration, Aboriginal peoples, work force, income, education levels and more.

Tap into a wealth of teaching resources from the Census, available on Statistics Canada's Learning Resources site for teachers. These include:

• The 2006 Census Teacher's Kit (lessons for elementary, intermediate, secondary and adult education ABE/ESL)
• Resources from the 2001 Census:
  • the 2001 Census Results Teachers Kit (K–12 lessons for many school subjects)
  • articles
  • data tables
  • thematic maps
  • animated presentations.

What is the difference between a census and a sample survey?

A census collects information from every person in a group. When you collect data about the age of everyone in your class in the Census at School project, you are conducting a class census. The national census collects information about every person living in Canada, including age, sex and language.

Unlike a census, a sample survey collects information from only part-a 'sample'-of the total population being studied. The results are then used to draw conclusions about the whole group. For example, you could collect data from 10 of the 30 students in a class to estimate the average age of the 30 students. On a larger scale, Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey questions over 50,000 households across Canada every month to estimate the total number of unemployed Canadians.

Another method of collecting information is to use administrative records from governments and other organizations. This can be an easier, faster, less expensive and more efficient way of gathering information than conducting a census or sample survey. For example, records of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and car registrations, to name a few, are kept by various government agencies and can be used to produce statistics. When you collect data, the method you chose-a census, a sample survey or use of administrative data-will depend on a number of factors.

More about these factors.