Every five years, Canadians are invited to participate in the census to help paint a portrait of Canada’s diverse population and the places where we live.
The Census of Population provides high-quality information on key socioeconomic trends and analysis that helps Canadians make important decisions that affect our families, our neighborhoods and our businesses.
The Census of Agriculture is conducted at the same time and collects information about every agricultural operation in Canada.
The next Census of Population and Census of Agriculture will take place in May 2021. Census Day is May 11, 2021.
Census of Population
The 2021 Census of Population is Canada’s 23rd national census. It collects information on the demographic, social and economic situation of people across Canada, as well as on the dwellings they live in.
The information you provide ensures that the 2021 Census of Population accurately reflects Canada’s changing society. Your responses are vital to your community for planning services that support employment, schools, public transportation and hospitals.
The 2021 Census in the context of COVID-19
The Census Program has adapted to the COVID-19 situation to ensure that the 2021 Census of Population is conducted throughout the country in the best possible way, using a safe and secure approach.
Whenever follow-up activities are required, Statistics Canada will be using practices aligned with the strictest health and safety directives from public health authorities. No enumeration activities will take place inside the dwellings of respondents, and all interviews will be physically distanced. In addition, personal safety equipment will be provided to field employees to ensure the health and safety of employees and the public.
Statistics Canada is proud of its ability to rethink and rework all of the key aspects of this country’s largest peacetime activity—while ensuring at all times the safety of Canadians, including our employees.
The online 2021 Census
Starting on May 3, 2021, you can complete your census questionnaire online. It is an easy, secure and convenient option that can be used anywhere, anytime. No pre-registration or lengthy download processes are required.
In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, responding online is the best way to stay home and stay safe while fulfilling your census obligation and contributing the information needed to ensure health, employment and other services are provided efficiently in your area.
This figure is a screenshot of question 10 from version 1 of the 2019 Census Test
(paper questionnaire).Source/census.gc.ca
Question 10: What is the language that this person first learned at home in childhood and still understands?
Please report two languages or more only if those languages were learned at the same time at home before the person started school.
If the person no longer understands the first language learned, indicate the second
language learned.
There are two radio buttons where the respondent can select “English” or “French”.
There is an edit field under the radio buttons that reads, “Other language – specify.”
b) Version 2 (two-part question): mother tongue is determined by combining the
responses to both parts.
3.3.2.4 Mother tongue
Chart 2 shows the total number of people with a minority official language, reported alone or with one or more languages, as their mother tongue, based on the three versions The Canadian Census is to be completed by May 11, 2021.
Please consider putting Urdu as your Mother tongue instead of Punjabi to have the Pakistani
Canadian diaspora recognized and have governments allocate resources to Pakistani Canadians. Listing Punjabi as a language will be counted as Gurmukhi Punjabi which is spoken and written in India.
