Census of Canada, 1911
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1911 Census: the Event and the Records*
The Event
Under the provisions of the Census and Statistics Act (which received Royal Assent May 16, 1905) a general census of Canada was to occur in 1911, and every ten years thereafter. The Act specified that the census be taken in the month of June, on a day to be fixed by the Governor-in-Council. The Governor-in-Council chose June 1 for the 1911 census to begin. This fifth census of Canada covered the nine provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) and two territories (the Yukon1 and the Northwest Territories2) that were then part of Confederation.
The Act called for the collection of information from the various territorial divisions of Canada in every general census. The census aimed to determine, as accurately as possible, the population and its composition in terms of religion, ethnic origin, age, gender, education, occupation and social condition. Buildings, property, institutions, commercial products and the wages of the population were also to be counted. Special instructions were issued for the taking of the census in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon because of the distances involved.
Under instructions from the Minister of Agriculture, 264 commissioners and 9 703 enumerators were to begin work on Thursday, June 1 and continue working every day, except Sunday, until the work was completed. Enumerators in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon were authorized to begin before June 1, so they could complete their work by the end of that month. By February 26, 1912, all the reports were received; over 96 percent of them had entered the statistics office by the end of August.
For the census, provinces were divided into districts, which in turn were divided into sub-districts. Census districts generally corresponded with electoral districts, cities and counties, although census districts and county boundaries did not always coincide, and districts could disappear from one census to the next. Sub-districts roughly met the boundaries of towns, townships and city wards. Villages and small towns were usually enumerated as part of the township or parish in which they were located.
Enumerators were instructed to begin their work at a well-established point in the township, parish, city, town or village and to proceed from there. In areas with a distinct name, the name was to be entered into the left-hand margin of each page on which records for the town were recorded. The entries for an unincorporated village were to be separated from those for the surrounding rural area by a line drawn across the left-hand margin between the last person in the first area and the first person in the second area. It was believed that this separation of records would make the tabulation of agricultural statistics and the tracing of the rise of towns easier. Statistics from unincorporated villages would be included with those for rural areas.
When visiting a home, an enumerator was expected to state the purpose of the visit in a few words, ask the necessary questions, make the proper entries, and leave as soon as the these duties were completed. If people refused to answer questions or to give the required information, legal action could be taken against them.
In unorganized regions, First Nation reserves and the Northwest Territories, special agents (including employees of the Department of Indian Affairs and members of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police) could be authorized to act as enumerators.
The first volume of census results, Area and Population by Provinces, Districts and Subdistricts, was published in 1912. This publication declared the population of Canada to be 7 204 838. This figure showed an increase of over 1.8 million people in the years since 1901. The smallest population density was located in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon where 17 196 and 8 512 individuals lived, respectively.3
Five other volumes of census reports were published between 1912 and 1915: Religions, Origins, Birthplace, Citizenship, Literacy and Infirmities by Provinces, Districts and Sub-Districts (Volume II); Manufactures for 1910 as Enumerated in June 1911 (Volume III); Agriculture (Volume IV); Forest, Fishery, Fur and Mineral Production (Volume V); and Occupations of the People (Volume VI). A Special Report on Area and Population and various bulletins related to special topics were also produced.
The Records
The enumeration effort and the data published were all based on census documents known as schedules. Originally, thirteen schedules, or pages of census questions, were compiled:
- Population
- Mortality, Disability and Compensation
- Houses, Buildings and Fruit
- Field Crops - Agriculture - Grain and Other Field Crops for the Harvest Year 1910
- Agriculture - Hoed Crops, Tobacco, Hops and Grass Seeds in 1910 and Field Crop Areas in 1911
- Agriculture - Animal and Animal Products
- Farm and Urban Values
- Forest Products
- Manufactures
- Churches, Schools, etc.
- Fisheries
- Dairy Factories
- Mineral Products
1911 Census records at Library and Archives Canada
In 1955, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics sought authority from the Public Records Committee (PRC) to destroy the paper census schedules. After consultation, the PRC agreed to the destruction, on the condition that the population schedules be microfilmed. As a result, a microfilm copy is the only archival holding of the population schedules from the 1911 census. The microfilming of these records was not of consistent quality and not all images are decipherable. Unfortunately, the destruction of the paper records means that there is no recourse when a record is unreadable.
The reels include all completed Schedule 1 ("Population") forms. When microfilming, however, columns 38 to 41 of Schedule 1 (questions related to infirmities) were lost on approximately 75 percent of the reels.
On each microfilm reel, researchers will find a title page listing the year of the census (1911), the name of the province, the district number and name, the sub-district number and name and the number of pages in the grouping.
The digitized copies of the census schedules found on the Library and Archives Web site were made by scanning the microfilms of the 1911 census. Because the digitized versions are exact copies, a page that was indecipherable on microfilm is still indecipherable on a computer screen. The introductory pages from the microfilm which identify the year of the census, the name of the province, name and number of the district and sub-district and the number of pages are not visible online.
These records and those of previous censuses are described in the Statistics Canada fonds (R92), formerly Record Group 31.
Notes
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Unless otherwise noted, this information has been drawn from the Census and Statistics Office's Instructions to Officers, Commissioners, and Enumerators (Ottawa, 1911), the explanatory document issued to the individuals involved in compiling the 1911 Census. |
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| 1 |
Created under Chapter 63 of the Revised Statutes of Canada (1906), the Yukon Territory was bounded "on the south, by the Province of British Columbia and the United States Territory of Alaska; on the west, by the United States Territory of Alaska; on the north, by that part of the Arctic Ocean called Beaufort Sea; and on the east, by a line beginning at the point of intersection of the left bank of the Liard river, by the northern boundary of the Province of British Columbia in approximate longitude 124º 16' west of Greenwich; thence northwesterly along the line of the watershed separating the streams flowing into the Liard river below the point of beginning, or into the Mackenzie river, from those flowing into the Liard river above the point of beginning, or into the Yukon river, to the line of watershed of the basin of Peel river; thence northerly along the line of watershed between the Peel and Mackenzie rivers to the sixty-seventh degree of north latitude; thence westerly along the parallel of the sixty-seventh degree of north latitude to the line of watershed between the Peel and Yukon rivers; thence northerly along the said line of watershed to the trail across the portage in McDougall Pass between Rat and Bell rivers; thence due north to the northern limit of the Yukon Territory; the said Territory to include the islands within twenty statute miles from the shores of the Beaufort Sea as far as the aforesaid due north line from McDougall Pass." |
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| 2 |
The Northwest Territories were composed of the territories formerly known as Rupert's Land and the Northwestern Territory, except those parts which became part of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and the Yukon Territory; plus all British territories and possessions in North America and all adjacent islands not included within any province except the colony of Newfoundland and its dependencies. (The Census Office. Instructions for Taking the Census of the Northwest Territories and of the Yukon Territory, 3.) |
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| 3 |
The Census and Statistics Office. Fifth Census of Canada, 1911 - Areas and Population by Provinces, Districts and Subdistricts. Volume I. (Ottawa, 1912), v-vii. |
How to Purchase or Borrow Microfilm Copies
It is possible for libraries, organizations and individuals to purchase or borrow microfilm copies of the Census of Canada, 1911. The reels are 35 mm.
| Province/Territory |
District numbers |
Microfilm reel numbers |
Number of reels |
| Alberta |
1 to 7 |
T-20326 to
T-20333 |
8 |
| British Columbia |
8 to 14 |
T-20333 to
T-20340 |
8 |
| Manitoba |
15 to 24 |
T-20340 to
T-20349 |
10 |
| New Brunswick |
25 to 36 |
T-20349 to
T-20355 |
7 |
| Nova Scotia |
37 to 53 |
T-20355 to
T-20364 |
10 |
| Ontario |
54 to 138 |
T-20364 to
T-20412 |
49 |
| Prince Edward Island |
139 to 141 |
T-20412 to
T-20414 |
3 |
| Quebec |
142 to 206 |
T-20414 to
T-20450 |
37 |
| Saskatchewan |
207 to 216 |
T-20450 to
T-20459 |
10 |
| Yukon and Northwest Territories |
217 and 218 |
T-20459 to
T-20460 |
2 |
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