History

Population summary tables:
Estimated population of Canada, 1605 to present (view)
Population and growth components, 1851-2001 Censuses (view)

• Early exploration to Confederation
• Confederation to the 1970s
• The 20th century

See also Resources for Aboriginal Studies.

Early exploration to Confederation

Censuses of Canada, 1665 to 1871, Statistics of Canada, Volume IV, was printed in Ottawa in 1876. This volume contains about 350 statistical tables and accompanying text on the social and economic conditions in Canada from the earliest settlements to 1871. The results from 98 censuses are arranged in chronological order, with some explanatory notes. The text is available in HTML and PDF versions. Sections include: Early Exploration, Early French Settlements, Early English Settlements, Acadians, Upper Canada & Loyalists, The 1800s, Aboriginal Peoples, and Place Names. The statistical tables are available through E-STAT.

Confederation to the 1970s

Historical Statistics of Canada, second edition, contains about 1,088 statistical tables on the growth and development of Canada from the start of the Confederation in 1867 to the mid-1970s. This unique reference volume was published in 1983 as a hard copy publication. Out of print for many years, it was scanned and re-captured in electronic form as text and tables. The text is offered as HTML pages and all tables as individual spreadsheets in a comma delimited format (CSV). The entire document is also available in PDF format (23 separate pdfs).

The 20th century

Animated map, "100 Years of Change in Population Settlement" demonstrates settlement across Canada from 1901 to 2001.

Animated population pyramids from 1901 to 2001.

View One hundred years of immigration to Canada, an audio-visual presentation.

Time line follows major events in Canada's history from 1901 to 2001.

Canadian Social Trends:
100 Years of Canadian Society Teacher's Kit: Explore changes in the 20th century with this series of articles and a related lesson plan.

• 100 years of… Education, Health, Income and expenditures and Urban development (Winter 2000) (PDF)
• 100 years of immigration in Canada (Autumn 2000) (PDF)
• 100 years of labour force (Summer 2000) (PDF)
• 100 years of families (Spring 2000) (PDF)

Agriculture at a glance, 1996: A look at changes on the farm over the past 100 years:
Follow the guide for a trip back in time III and IV

Canadian Agriculture at a Glance, 2001:
They're here to farm
This activity focuses on the contribution of immigrants to Canadian agriculture, highlighting which countries they come from and why, and what types of farms they prefer.
Prairie farmers have always found a way to adapt
This activity is designed to show students some of the changes affecting Prairie agriculture over the past 100 years, and how Prairie farmers have adapted to them.

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