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Income:
Total Income
Part A – Plain Language Definition
Total of income from all sources, including employment income, income
from government programs, pension income, investment income and any other
money income.
Part B – Detailed Definition
Refers to the total money income received from the following sources
during calendar year 2000 by persons 15 years of age and over:
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wages and salaries (total); |
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net farm income; |
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net non-farm income from unincorporated business and/or professional
practice; |
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Canada Child Tax Benefits; |
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Old Age Security pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement; |
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benefits from Canada or Quebec Pension Plan; |
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benefits from Employment Insurance; |
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other income from government sources; |
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dividends, interest on bonds, deposits and savings certificates,
and other investment income; |
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retirement pensions, superannuation and annuities, including those
from RRSPs and RRIFs; |
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other money income |
Censuses: 2001 (1/5 sample), 1996 (1/5 sample), 1991 (1/5 sample),
1986 (1/5 sample), 1981 (1/5 sample), 1971 (1/3 sample), 1961 (1/5
sample)
Reported for: Population 15 years of age and over, excluding
institutional residents
Question No.: Derived variable
Responses: Positive or negative dollar value or nil
Remarks: Although the respondents were
asked a direct question on their total income
excluding Canada Child Tax Benefits, the reported total income is replaced
by a derived total income which includes an assigned amount for the Canada
Child Tax Benefit.
Information on total money income was collected in the 1961, 1971,
1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001 Censuses. The major differences between
censuses with respect to income are summarized below. For an overview,
see Figure 7.
Figure 7. Income Content and Coverage in the Censuses of Canada
Concept
| (a) |
The 1961 Census did not collect data on income from farming. Therefore,
this source of income was excluded from "Total Income" in that census. |
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| (b) |
The 1986 Census included, for the first time, federal Child Tax
credits in "Total Money Income". These credits and family allowances
were replaced in 1996 by the federal Child Tax benefit. In 2001, this
benefit is composed of the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the National
Child Benefit Supplement and child benefits and earned income supplements
provided by certain provinces and territories. |
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| (c) |
In all censuses, income received by immigrants prior to their arrival
in Canada was not included in "Total Income". |
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| (d) |
In all censuses, the income concept excluded gambling gains and
losses, lottery prizes, money inherited during the year in a lump
sum, capital gains or losses, receipts from the sale of property,
income tax refunds, loan payments received, lump-sum settlements of
insurance policies, rebates received on property taxes, refunds of
pension contributions, as well as all income "in kind", such as free
meals, living accommodations, or agricultural products produced and
consumed on the farm. |
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| (e) |
In 2000, respondents may have received an Ontario Taxpayer Dividend,
an Alberta Energy Tax Rebate or an amount as part of the federal government's
pay equity settlement. The Ontario Taxpayer Dividend, a rebate of
1999 provincial tax, is excluded from the income concept. The Alberta
Energy Tax Rebate is a non-taxable benefit paid to Alberta residents
16 years of age and over who filed a 1999 income tax return. Respondents
were asked not to include this amount in their income; rather it will
be calculated and assigned during processing. All amounts, received
from the federal government's pay equity settlement, related to years
of service prior to calendar year 2000 are excluded from the income
concept. |
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| (f) |
Benefits from wage-loss replacement plans or income-maintenance
plans are included with Wages and Salaries in 2000. In prior censuses,
these amounts were included as part of Other Money Income. |
Reference Period
Except for 1961, respondents were asked to report their income for the
calendar year prior to the census. The 1961 Census gave the respondents
the option to report their income either for the 12 months preceding
the census or for the calendar year 1960.
Coverage
| (a) |
The 1961 Census excluded all farm households, all collective households
and all households in the Northwest Territories. |
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| (b) |
Only the 1971 Census collected information on income from institutional
residents. |
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| (c) |
In 1991, 1996 and 2001, income information was collected from non-permanent
residents. (See the definition for Immigration:
Non-permanent Population.) |
Methodology
| (a) |
In 1971, income data were collected from a 1/3 sample of households.
In all other censuses, the sample size was 1/5. (In certain selected
areas, sampling was replaced by 100% enumeration.) |
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| (b) |
The data were collected by canvassers in 1961. In subsequent censuses,
the main collection method used was self-enumeration. |
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| (c) |
Because of inconsistent reporting of income in Hutterite colonies,
all individuals in them were assigned zero income in the 1981, 1986,
1991, 1996 and 2001 Censuses. |
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| (d) |
Various censuses differed in respect of combination of income sources.
For details, see Figure 7. |
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| (e) |
No information was collected from respondents on Family Allowances
and Child Tax credits in 1985 and 1990, Child Tax benefits in
1995 or Canada Child Tax Benefits in 2000. These were calculated
on the basis of other information on families and assigned, where
applicable, to appropriate individuals. |
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