2011 Canadian census

The 2011 Canadian census was a detailed count of the Canadian population on May 10, 2011. Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, conducts a nationwide census every five years.

In 2011, people completed a short form questionnaire, and there was also a new voluntary survey called the National Household Survey. This replaced a longer form that was used before. Some people felt it was important to keep the longer form.

Completing the short form census was required by law for all Canadians. The Statistics Act talked about rules for sharing census records after 92 years. The 2011 census was needed because of a rule in the Constitution Act, 1867, and the information helped decide how to divide areas for elections.

By August 2011, most people in Canada had completed the census. Ontario and Prince Edward Island had the highest response rates, while Nunavut had the lowest. Some groups later said that changing the census made it harder to get detailed information about the country.

Questionnaire revision

The 2011 Canadian census used a short form. It had the same eight questions from the 2006 census, plus two new questions about language. This change happened because the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities said the old way might affect services for language groups.

The National Household Survey started in May 2011. It asked about 4.5 million households. It was meant to replace the old long form questionnaire. Some experts thought the information from this survey might not be as good as the old one.

Voluntary long-form survey controversy

Before the 2011 census, the government changed the way they collected detailed information. They stopped using a required questionnaire and instead introduced a new survey called the National Household Survey. People could choose whether to fill it out.

Many groups and experts were upset about this change. They believed it would make it harder to get accurate information, especially from groups like new immigrants and Indigenous peoples. Some leaders even left their jobs in protest. The government said the change was to respect people's privacy, but others had different opinions about why it was done. The government worked to encourage more people to respond to the new survey, but there were concerns that not enough people would take part.

Reforms since 2011

In 2014, a member of Parliament named Ted Hsu suggested changing how Canada counts its people. He wanted to bring back a detailed form, but this did not happen.

After the Liberal government, led by Justin Trudeau, was elected, they changed the rules about how Canada collects information. These changes finished in 2017. In 2015, they brought back the detailed form for the census, and it was used again in 2016.

Main article: Statistics Act

Data releases

The 2011 Canadian census was a big count of everyone living in Canada. It helped us learn about the country and its people. The information was shared in several steps.

Population and dwellings

Rank	Province or territory	Population as of 2011 census	Population as of 2006 census	Change	Percent change
1	Ontario	12,851,821	12,160,282	691,539	5.7
2	Quebec	7,903,001	7,546,131	356,870	4.7
3	British Columbia	4,400,057	4,113,487	286,570	7.0
4	Alberta	3,645,257	3,290,350	354,907	10.8
5	Manitoba	1,208,268	1,148,401	59,867	5.2
6	Saskatchewan	1,033,381	968,157	65,224	6.7
7	Nova Scotia	921,727	913,462	8,265	0.9
8	New Brunswick	751,171	729,997	21,174	2.9
9	Newfoundland and Labrador	514,536	505,469	9,067	1.8
10	Prince Edward Island	140,204	135,851	4,353	3.2
11	Northwest Territories	41,462	41,464	−2	0.0
12	Yukon	33,897	30,372	3,525	11.6
13	Nunavut	31,906	29,474	2,432	8.3
	Canada	33,476,688	31,612,897	1,863,791	5.9

The 2011 Canadian census counted how many people and homes there were in Canada in 2011. This helps us understand how the country is growing and how people live.