Survey descriptions

Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey

The Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) is a cross-sectional survey conducted biennially since 2013. The previous iteration of CTADS was the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey. The main objective of CTADS is to provide prevalence data on tobacco, alcohol and drug use and the extent of harm related to usage. CTADS surveys people aged 15 and over, with a primary focus on 15- to 24-year-olds. The target population excludes people living in the territories and residents of institutions. The survey sample of CTADS is about 15,000 respondents, equally distributed among the provinces. Between 2015 and 2017, CTADS was modified to include additional content related to cannabis use. In 2017, in addition to questions on mode of consumption, questions were included on co-use with alcohol or tobacco, source (where obtained), driving within two hours of use, being a passenger in a vehicle operated by someone who has consumed it within two hours, use while pregnant and breastfeeding.

Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey

Additions to the Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CADS), 2019 (formerly called the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey) include questions about specific cannabis products used in the past 12 months and frequency of use; frequency in the past 12 months of using substances in combination with cannabis, by specific substance; whether combination use (cannabis with other substance) was for the purpose of getting “high”; quantity of cannabis used in the past 12 months compared with that in the previous year; number of mornings during the past 30 days when cannabis was used to start the day; main medical condition and symptom (separately) for which cannabis was used (among users reporting use of cannabis for medical purposes); being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by someone who had used cannabis, or both alcohol and cannabis, within the previous two hours; frequency of using cannabis and driving a motor vehicle within two hours; frequency of using cannabis and driving a motor vehicle within two hours that was involved in a collision; frequency of driving under the influence of cannabis and having interaction with law enforcement; frequency of being arrested for a driving violation related to cannabis use; current degree of willingness to publicly acknowledge using cannabis for non medical purposes compared with before legalization. Female respondents aged 15 to 44 who have given birth in the past five years are asked whether they used cannabis during their pregnancy; those who report breastfeeding are asked whether they used cannabis while breastfeeding.

National Cannabis Survey

The National Cannabis Survey (NCS) was fielded for the first time in February and March 2018; it will be conducted during each remaining quarter of the year. The target population comprises residents of the 10 provinces aged 15 and over. The survey is designed so that the data can be rapidly processed and basic variables disseminated quickly. The NCS contains questions on frequency of use, source of procurement, amount used, price paid by type of product, quantity of and price paid for last purchase, likelihood of use or change in consumption, and driving within two hours of use, along with sociodemographic information. If operational constraints permit, continuation of data collection for at least two years beyond the date of legalization would provide valuable information regarding any fluctuations in cannabis use.

Canadian Community Health Survey

The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is a cross-sectional survey of household residents aged 12 and over living in the provinces and territories. The survey contains numerous variables related to general health, health care use and sociodemographic characteristics, as well as information on lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol use, which are often associated with cannabis use. It is designed to produce estimates of health-related information at subprovincial levels of geography (health region or combined health regions). The survey was initiated in 2001; since 2007 the survey sample has numbered 65,000 people per year and data collection is ongoing.

Canadian Health Measures Survey

The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) is cross-sectional and collects information about general health through a household survey, direct physical measurements and biological measures. The age range covered by the CHMS is from 3 to 79 years. Data collection is ongoing in the 10 provinces; the survey is currently in its sixth cycle (2018/2019). Sample sizes have ranged from 5,600 to 6,400 respondents per cycle. Survey weights allow pooling of the data from multiple cycles, which enhances the analytic potential.

Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

The Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) is designed to measure the incidence of crime in Canadian society and its characteristics. UCR data reflect reported crime that has been substantiated by police. Information collected by the survey includes the number of criminal incidents, the clearance status of those incidents and persons-charged information. The UCR Survey produces a continuous historical record of crime and traffic statistics reported by every police agency in Canada since 1962. Data from the UCR Survey provide key information for crime analysis, resource planning and program development for the policing community.

Police Administration Survey

The purpose of the Police Administration Survey (PAS) is to collect statistics on police personnel and expenditures by municipal, provincial and federal police services in Canada. Data from this survey provide information on total expenditures on policing and the number of officers in each province and in Canada as a whole, as well as the number of officers per 100,000 population. In addition, information on current and emerging issues related to policing in Canada is collected.

Integrated Criminal Court Survey

The objective of the Integrated Criminal Court Survey (ICCS) is to develop and maintain a national database of statistical information on appearances, charges, and cases in youth courts and adult criminal courts. The survey is intended to be a census of pending and completed federal statute charges heard in provincial, territorial and superior courts in Canada. The survey includes information on the age and sex of the accused, case decisions, sentencing information regarding the length of prison sentence and probation, and amount of fine, as well as case-processing indicators such as case elapsed time.

General Social Survey—Victimization

The main objective of the General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians' Safety (Victimization) is to gain a better understanding of how Canadians perceive crime and the justice system, and to capture information on their experiences of victimization. It is the only national survey of self-reported victimization and is collected in all provinces and territories. The survey allows for estimates of the numbers and characteristics of victims and criminal incidents. As not all crimes are reported to the police, the survey provides an important complement to officially recorded crime rates. It measures both criminal incidents reported the police and those that are unreported.

Aboriginal Peoples Survey

The purpose of the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) is to provide information on the social and economic conditions of status and non-status First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. Topics include society and community, health and well-being, work and income. The survey asks questions about health-related behaviours including the use of marijuana, cannabis and hashish. The 2017 survey focused on economic participation.

Survey of Household Spending

The Survey of Household Spending (SHS) primarily collects detailed information on household expenditures. It also collects information about the annual income of household members (from personal income tax data), demographic characteristics of the household, certain dwelling characteristics (e.g., type, age and tenure) and certain information on household equipment (e.g., electronics and communications equipment).