Details on the history of some topics

There has and always will be a requirement to change the Census to reflect the evolution of society, but there is also a requirement for stability in the Census content. This stability in content allows for comparability of information internationally and over time.

Age, sex, marital status and common-law status

Data on the age-sex of the Canadian population are needed for a variety of purposes. They are useful in planning resource allocation for education, day-care facilities, health care, pension plans and many other social services and government programs. They are also needed to maintain the accuracy of population estimates and to weight the 20% data from the census.

Age-sex data are crucial for any type of population research. They are used to study aging and to divide the population research. They are used to study aging and to divide the population into subgroups based on the major phases of life, such as students, people in the labour force, and senior citizens. Sex data are also useful in developing and evaluation affirmative action programs and programs to increase the proportion of women in non-traditional occupations. For example, when combined with income and education data, they indicate the size of the wage gap between men and women.

Marital status and common-law status are two indicators used to measure the formation and dissolution of couples. Conjugal life and the structure of the Canadian family are in a constant state of flux. The results of the last few censuses show that common-law union is becoming more common in all major age groups. This form of union, which in the past was often considered a prelude to marriage, is now a real alternative to marriage. Many of today's young people are children of such unions. Since common-law unions are known to be less stable than unions formed by a traditional marriage, a child stands a much greater chance of belonging to a lone-parent family at some point in his or her childhood. Hence it is important to collect information about this situation, so that institutions can monitor changes in family life and quickly adjust their social programs.

Marital status data combined with common-law status data provide a clearer picture of the conjugal history of individuals. For example, divorce remains a significant phenomenon in our society, but a large proportion of divorced people form new unions with or without children. In addition, for the first time in the 2001 Census, a person living with a same-sex partner is considered to be living common-law.

Ethnic origin

With the exception (1891), decennial censuses since 1871 included a question on the 'origins' of respondents. The purpose of the ethnic origin question is to collect data on the ethnic and cultural ancestry of the Canadian population.

Comparability of ethnic origin data has been affected by several factors including changes in the question wording, format, examples, instructions and data processing, as well as by the social environment at the time of the census.

The wording and the format of the 2001 question are the same as in the 1996 question. The order of the examples, however, had been changed to reflect the order in which answers were reported in the 1996 Census.

In 2001, the ethnic origin question gave 25 examples which were based mainly on the frequency of single ethnic origin counts from the 1996 Census. Because 'Canadians' was the most frequently reported response in 1996, it was listed as the first example in the ethnic origin question. The presence of 'Canadian' as an example will affect the ethnic origin response patterns. As a result of changing immigration patterns and increasing diversity in Canada, modifications are made to the specific ethnic groups and categories captured at each census. Therefore, it is recommended to consult the 2001 Census Dictionary for a comparison of ethnic origin data collected in the 1991, 1996 and 2001 Censuses.

In addition to the factors discussed above, the measurement of ethnicity is affected by changes in the social environment in which the questions are asked and changes in the respondent's understanding or views about the topic. Awareness of family background or length of time since immigration can affect responses to the ethnic origin question, as can confusion with other concepts such as citizenship, nationality, language or cultural identity. Ethnic origin response patterns may be influenced by both social and personal considerations. The choices that respondents make can affect ethnic origin counts and the comparability of data between censuses.

In the past, census ethnic origin data were used by governments and ethnic groups to identify Canada's visible minority population. However, as of 1996, visible minorities are counted using the Population group question.

Religion

The census has been collecting data on religion since 1871. The question is asked in the decennial census.

Information on religion measures cultural diversity and is used in combination with other characteristics to trace fundamental change in Canadian society.

The religion question was open-ended and asks 'What is this person's religion?' Respondents could write in the answer box provided the name of a denomination or religion, or anything else they choose, such as 'atheist' or 'agnostic'. They could also mark the box for no religion.

Respondents were instructed to indicate a specific denomination or religion even if they were not currently a practicing member of that group.

Language

The Census of Canada complies with the United Nations recommendations made with respect to language questions. It contains questions on mother tongue (first language learned at home and still understood), language spoken at home, knowledge of official (English and French) and non-official languages, as well as language at work. Every member of the population is asked the first question; the remaining questions are answered by one household in five.

The Mother Tongue question has existed in its current form since the 1941 Census. Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms refers to the 'first language learned and still understood' in connection with minority language educational rights. The data on mother tongue serve several purposes, including analysis of the distribution of the population by language group. The 2001 Census provides information about some 140 languages and language families.

The question on Languages Spoken at Home, which has been asked since 1971 (except 1976), allows yields data that can be used to analyse current language usage in Canada. In 2001, a second part was added to the question, on languages spoken on a regular basis at home. Coupled with the mother tongue question, it also provides a way of measuring language transfer and retention. A language transfer is said to have taken place when a person reports as his/her home language a language that is different from his/her mother tongue.

Two questions on language knowledge were asked in 2001. The first one, which has been asked in every census since 1901, deals with knowledge of the official languages, English and French. The data from this question are used primarily to study bilingualism, but also track changes in the number of persons who cannot carry on a conversation in English or French. The second question, on knowledge of non-official languages, was included for the first time in the 1991 Census questionnaire in order to round out the linguistic profile of Canada's population.

Cross-referencing this variable with other language variables results in better measurement of the usage of the various non-official languages in Canada and provides a more precise indication of the level of language retention and transfer affecting each one.

There was a new question added in 2001 on language at work. It asked respondents who are 15 years of age and over, and who have worked since January 1, 2000, for the language used most often at work during the week that preceded the census. Data on other languages used at work on a regular basis were also collected. The information from this question helps assess the use of mother tongue at work by official language minorities and the linguistic integration of non-official language minorities in the labour market.

The demolinguistic information supplied by the census includes one more variable: first official language spoken. Derived from the responses to the questions on knowledge of official languages, mother tongue and languages spoken at home, this variable is used by the federal government in the official languages regulations pertaining to communications with and services to the public.

Schooling

The first three questions, Questions 26 to 28, serve to determine the level of schooling of the Canadian population. Question 29 identifies those who are currently attending school either full time or part time. Questions 30 and 31 identify accreditation received and field of specialization.

Educational and job-related training planners require these data to assess the need for academic upgrading and basic literacy programs in Canada, to plan the delivery of such programs, to assess the labour market for continuing education programs (particularly important in the renewal and upgrading of skills of the working population) and to assess the need for vocational training programs and determine the availability of educational facilities. Data obtained from the school attendance question, when combined with other census data, provide valuable information on the characteristics of full-time and part-time students in postsecondary education, continuing education and academic upgrading.

Economic planners at all levels of government have emphasized the need for data concerning the educational characteristics and attainment of Canadians in order to assess the effectiveness of the education system; to examine relationships between education and employment, occupation, industry and income; to forecast occupational imbalances; and to guide immigration policies.

To determine the effect of education on labour productivity, labour market analysts require census data on level of schooling. Analysis of labour supply and its flexibility requires data on school attendance, educational attainment, labour force participation, migration and field of specialization. Finally, census information allows labour market analysts to evaluate whether income level and availability of jobs influence the choice of specialization of Canadians.

Managers responsible for employment equity programs require 2001 Census level of schooling data to assess educational opportunities for the four designated groups: persons with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, and women. From this information, training programs can be designed, and their effectiveness evaluated. Definition and participation in non-traditional occupations require current data on both the educational qualifications and the fields of specialization of designated group members. Level of schooling data also play a significant role in the analysis of income disparities between designated group members and the total population.

The introduction of new technologies is creating new jobs and changing the way we perform old ones. Information about the educational attainment of Canadians is more important than ever for evaluating our adjustment to these changes. The design of cost-effective programs for upgrading the skills of Canadians to facilitate their transition to new industries and new technologies requires detailed knowledge pf present educational attributes and their geographic distribution. In particular, the development of high technology industries and the rate of technological change require more detailed information on qualifications that can be obtained from Questions 26, 27, 28 and 29 alone. The emergence of these new technologies and the decline of old ones create a need for the retraining of people from one occupational category, or set of skills, to another. Census data can assess the magnitude of the need for retaining and guide the delivery of such programs.

Census information on education enables federal and provincial agencies considering regional development opportunities to look beyond the present occupations of the labour force to their potential occupations after retraining. Only a survey of the magnitude of the census can provide both the spatially specific data necessary for regional development policies and the degree of detail regarding fields of specialization for target groups within the Canadian population necessary for national and regional labour market and occupational forecasting models. The variable highest level of schooling is derived from the years of schooling questions and the question on degrees, certificates and diplomas.