Foreword

This volume, like its predecessor, contains a wide range of economic, social and political data and a considerable amount of material descriptive of the data for the period from Confederation to the mid-1970s. The justification for the preparation of such a compendium has been amply demonstrated by the breadth of circulation and use of the original edition. This edition, like the earlier volume, is the result of a wide collaboration involving many persons from the academic community and from the public service.

The sponsors, on this occasion, have been the Social Science Federation of Canada and Statistics Canada. The Social Science Federation appointed a Steering Committee to set broad policy with respect to content and to arrange for the appointment of section authors and their advisors; it also paid half of the salary of the chief officer of the project, Mr. Leacy. Statistics Canada provided all other financial and material support of the project, including support of its staff, provision of office space, and processing of material to an advanced state in what is ordinarily considered the publication process. Statistics Canada, of course, also provided much help with the data themselves through its subject matter divisions.

It is impossible to acknowledge individually the contributions of the host of people who helped in the project in one way or another - we can make only a general although most genuine expression of gratitude to them for their part in the undertaking. However, a special acknowledgement must be made of the debt of the project to Mr. Frank Leacy and Mr. D.A. Worton.

Mr. Leacy's contribution has been indispensable. He was in effect the chief executive officer of the project, with full responsibility for co-ordinating and aiding the work of the section chiefs, for arranging for much of the substantive work on the tables to be done in Statistics Canada and other parts of the public service, and for guiding the preparation of the text through a considerable part of the publishing process. But his work went far beyond this. It is in the nature of such a project that some parts of the project stall or lag. In such circumstances, Mr. Leacy did much of the preparation of text and of materials in the tables himself. He wrote the texts for four of the sections and redrafted those for two others. He did the major part of the preparation of the tables for five sections and prepared at least some tables in most other sections. Without his effort there would not have been a volume. We owe him our special gratitude.

Mr. D.A. Worton, Assistant Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada, made the arrangements for the support of the project in Statistics Canada, for collaboration in these arrangements with the Social Science Federation and for publication and also provided general encouragement and support for the project from the beginning. His understanding of the problems encountered in carrying out the project, his work on the time-consuming task of changing arrangements in Statistics Canada as parts of the project beyond his control were delayed, and his facilitation of work within Statistics Canada itself have made all of us greatly indebted to him.

Finally, acknowledgement should be made of the contribution of those who participated in the preparation of the first volume. Much of the material of that volume is reproduced in the new edition. Since a list of participants in the preparation of the first volume is reproduced in this new edition, it is not necessary to name them here. However, we take the occasion to acknowledge Kenneth Buckley's outstanding contribution to both volumes through his work as assistant editor of the first edition and as author of three of its sections.

March 26, 1979

Postscript

After the above foreword was written, at the time of completion of the section manuscripts, it turned out the publication process took longer than anticipated. The camera-ready copy needed extensive tidying up and correction in its format and these tasks took longer than expected. These matters led to a regrettably long delay in publication date. The project is most indebted to Miss Frances O'Malley of Statistics Canada for her heroic efforts in revising the form of the camera-ready copy and in arranging for the translations and to Mr. Lorne Rowebottom, Mr. Jeffrey Holmes and Mr. Tim C. Davis of Statistics Canada for taking in hand the publication arrangements in 1982 and carrying them through with dispatch.

Most regrettably Mr. Leacy has not lived to see the results of his labours in published form. His death occurred shortly after he had completed his work on the project in 1979. This volume then becomes a memorial to him.

June 30, 1982