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2001 Census - Reasons why the questions are asked

(Document last updated May 1, 2001)

Step A

We ask for your address to keep track of every dwelling we count. We use your telephone number to call you for any information you may have forgotten to include in your questionnaire.

Steps B and C

These steps help you to decide who should be included and who should not be included in the questionnaire. They tell us that we have counted everyone we need to count and that we have not counted anyone twice.

Step D

This step tells us if someone in your household operates a farm. It also ensures that we count all farms for the Census of Agriculture.

Step E

No further information.

Basic population information

Question 1 asks for the name of each person in the household so that no one is left out or counted twice. Names are not entered into the census database.

Questions 2 to 6 ask about the people living in each household. From these questions we can learn about the living arrangements of people living in Canada, family size, the number of children living with one parent or two parents, and the number of people who live alone. This information is used for planning social programs, such as Old Age Security and the Child Tax Benefit. It is also used by towns and cities to plan a variety of services such as day-care centres, schools and senior citizens’ homes.

Activities of daily living

Questions 7 and 8 provide information on the number of people in Canada whose activities are reduced because of a physical condition, a mental condition, or a health problem. The results are used to help Statistics Canada find out more about the barriers these persons face in their everyday lives.

Sociocultural information

Questions 9 through 22 provide a social and cultural profile of Canada’s population. Question 9 asks the province or territory in Canada, or the country outside Canada, where people were born. This information tells us about population movements within Canada, and between Canada and other countries. It also provides information about the diversity of Canada’s population.

Question 10 tells us the citizenship status of Canada’s population. This information helps in electoral planning; by combining it with age data, we can calculate the number of potential voters. This question also provides information used to plan citizenship classes and programs.

Questions 11 and 12 tell us the number of immigrants and non-permanent residents in Canada, and the year people immigrated to Canada. Information from these questions is often used in combination with other census data to compare the socio-economic conditions of immigrants over time; to review immigration and employment policies and programs; as well as to plan education, health, and other services.

Questions 13 to 16 are used to implement programs that protect the rights of Canadians under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This information also helps to determine the need for language training and services in English or French.

Question 17 provides information about the ethnic and cultural diversity of Canada’s population. This information is required under the Multiculturalism Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is also used extensively by ethnic and cultural associations, as well as by agencies and researchers, for activities such as health promotion, communications and marketing.

Questions 18, 20 and 21 provide information about Aboriginal or First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples that is used to administer legislation and employment programs under the Indian Act of Canada and the Employment Equity Act. The information is also used by researchers and Aboriginal governments and associations to explore a wide variety of demographic and socio-economic issues.

Question 19 tells us about the groups that make up the visible minority population in Canada. This information is required for programs under the Employment Equity Act, which promotes equal opportunity for everyone.

Question 22 provides information on religion and is used to assess the need and potential for separate religious schools in some provinces. In addition, federal and provincial human rights legislation depend on this information to protect Canadians from discrimination based on their religious beliefs.

Mobility

Questions 24 and 25 tell us where people living in Canada are moving to and from, both within and outside Canada. This information is used to help estimate the population between censuses at the national, provincial and regional levels. It is also used to identify future needs for housing, education, transportation and social services, and contributes to programs administered under the Fiscal Arrangements Act.

Education

Questions 26 to 31 tell us about the education and training of people living in Canada and their specific job skills. Governments and employers use this information to evaluate whether there are enough people with the required education, training and job skills in particular areas of the work force. They are then able to develop training programs that meet the changing needs of our work force.

Question 29, which provides information on school attendance, is needed for planning and financing postsecondary and adult education programs under the Canada Student Loans Act. It is also used to develop incentives and programs that help people remain in school or return to school.

Place of birth of parents

Question 32 tells us the number of persons born in Canada whose parents were born outside Canada and the places of birth of these parents. Information from this question can be used to assess the socio-economic conditions of second-generation Canadians.

Household activities

Question 33 provides information on how much time people spend on unpaid household activities. When combined with data on paid work, this information will provide a picture of how people living in Canada balance their paid and unpaid work activities.

Labour market activities

Questions 34 to 50 collect information on paid work done by people aged 15 and older. This information is important for both businesses and governments at all levels to plan for education and training programs, assess language uses, to forecast future job opportunities, to plan efficient transportation and commuting systems, and to develop job creation measures in communities throughout the country.

Income

Question 51 provides the only source of detailed income statistics for all people in Canada, their families and households. Income tax records neither cover all people nor do they provide some important information on the characteristics of persons with income.

Governments use income statistics to develop income support programs and social services, such as Old Age Security Pension, provincial income supplements, social assistance, and welfare payments. They also use these statistics to ensure that programs supplementing family incomes do so efficiently and to identify specific geographic areas that need assistance.

Businesses, large and small, use these statistics to locate stores near consumers and to develop new products and services.

Housing

Questions H1 to H8 provide information for government planners and private developers to develop housing communities and projects. This information contributes to many programs administered under the National Housing Act and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act.

Information on the number of rooms and bedrooms in homes and on housing costs is combined with data on the number of persons in households to assess the economic situation of families in different regions. Provincial and municipal governments use this information to measure levels of crowding within households and to develop appropriate housing programs.

Information on the age of dwellings and their need for repairs is used by municipalities to develop neighbourhood improvement programs.