Visible minority

Part A - Short definition:

Not applicable

Part B - Detailed definition:

Visible minority refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as 'persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.' The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.

Reported in:

2011

Reported for:

Population in private households

Question number(s):

Derived variable: Question 19 and Question 18

Responses:

The Visible minority variable is derived from information collected in Question 19: Population group and Question 18: Aboriginal group. Persons who reported 'Yes, First Nations (North American Indian),' 'Yes, Métis' or 'Yes, Inuk (Inuit)' to Question 18 (Aboriginal peoples) were not asked the Population group question but are included in the 'Not a visible minority' category in the Visible minority variable, along with persons reporting other selected groups such as 'White.' All other respondents are classified according to their population group as reported in Question 19.

In Question 19: Population group, respondents were asked to use one or more of the mark-in circles boxes provided to indicate their population group(s). The following mark-in circles were provided on the questionnaire: White, South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese. A write-in space was also provided for respondents who wanted to specify a population group not included in the list of mark-in circles.

For additional information on the NHS classificaiton of Visible minority, refer to the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, National Household Survey, 2011.

Remarks:

Visible minority refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. Visible minority is derived from population group (Question 19) and Aboriginal group (Question 18). For information on the population group question in the 2011 National Household Survey, refer to the definition 'Population group.'

For additional information on the collection and dissemination of visible minority data, refer to the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, National Household Survey, 2011.