Overview

Every five years, Statistics Canada conducts a census. The 2006 Census of Canada took place on Tuesday, May 16, 2006.

Why is the census important?

The census provides a statistical portrait of our country and its people. A vast majority of all countries regularly carry out a census to collect important information about the social and economic situation of the people living in its various regions.

In Canada, the census is the only reliable source of detailed data for small groups (such as lone-parent families, ethnic groups, industrial and occupational categories and immigrants) and for areas as small as a city neighbourhood or as large as the country itself. Because the Canadian census is collected every five years and the questions are similar, it is possible to compare changes that have occurred in the make-up of Canada's population over time.

Who is included in the census?

The census includes every man, woman and child living in Canada on Census Day, as well as Canadians who are abroad, either on a military base, attached to a diplomatic mission, at sea or in port aboard Canadian-registered merchant vessels. Persons in Canada including those holding a temporary resident permit, study permit or work permit, and their dependents, are also part of the census.