Count Yourself In
 

On Tuesday, May 16, more than 32.5 million people in 12.7 million households across Canada will "count themselves in" as part of the 2006 Census.

A census is an invaluable decision-making tool. In Canada, governments at all levels use census data to make policy decisions regarding our economic and social programs. In fact, census data are used by many federal and provincial acts and programs including:

• Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act
• Employment Insurance Regulations
• Official Languages (Communications with Services to the Public) Regulations
• Old Age Security Act
• Income Tax Act
• Food and Drug Regulations
• War Veterans Allowance Act
• Employment Equity Regulations
• Constitutional Amendments Act

Business, industry, municipalities, associations and institutions depend on census data as a valuable decision-making tool. Census data are also used to:

• develop programs such as day care and subsidized housing
• assess the need for community programs and services
• select sites for schools and for planning public transportation
• support research by the media and academics
• plan important public services including health care, fire and police protection, employment and training programs.

The confidentiality of every census form is protected by law. This means that only Statistics Canada employees who have taken an oath of secrecy and who work directly with census data will see the completed questionnaires.

Statistics Canada is bound by law to protect the identity of individuals in all published data. All data releases are screened so that confidentiality is assured. Some steps taken to ensure this are random rounding to the nearest multiple of 5 or 10 and no release of detailed data for areas with populations below a certain size.

The 2006 Census and the Internet

For this census, households across the country can choose the convenience of completing their census questionnaire online. It is an easy, secure and convenient option that can be used anywhere, anytime. The latest technologies have been used to ensure that Statistics Canada's strict security and confidentiality requirements are met without imposing any pre-registration or lengthy download processes for the Census Internet application.

Sharing your information with future generations

For the first time, beginning with the 2006 Census, people living in Canada will have the choice to decide whether they want their personal census information publicly released for historical and genealogical research after 92 years. This change is in keeping with the privacy principle that everyone has the right to decide how their personal information will be used.

For those who give explicit permission, Statistics Canada will transfer their information to Library and Archives Canada in 2098, which in turn, will make it publicly available. For those who do not give permission, their personal information will not be transferred.

2001 Census facts - The Canadian family

• In 2001, there were 30,007,094 people living in Canada.
• The average family size was 3.0 persons.
• Six out of seven people (85%) lived in families as husbands, wives, common-law spouses, lone-parents or children.
• Between 1996 and 2001, the number of families increased from 7.3 million to 8.4 million.
• In 2001, just over 2 million (21%) children lived with a lone parent, up from 1.8 million (19%) in 1996.
• Nationally, 19% of all children under the age of 6 were living in a common-law family, up from 14% in 1996.
• As in 1996, the 2001 Census found that 59% of all individuals aged 15 and over reported that they were either married or living in a common-law union
• 93% of people aged 20 to 24 had never been married, compared to 89% in 1996 and 21% in 1971.
• There were 530,905 common-law couples with children at home in 2001, up from 434,950 in 1996.
• About 4.5 million individuals, 15% of the population aged 15 and over, lived alone in 2001, up from 12% in 1996.
• In 2001, 79.4% of Canadians lived in an urban area with a population of 10,000 people or more, compared with 78.5% in 1996.
• In 2001, a total of 34,000 same-sex common-law couples were counted in Canada - about 0.5% of all couples in the country.
• About 41% of adults in their twenties lived with their parents in 2001, up from 27% in 1981.

Canada's cultural mosaic

• In 2001, 5.4 million people living in Canada (18.4%) were born outside of the country. This was the highest proportion since 1931, when foreign-born people made up 22.2% of the population. In 1996, the proportion was 17.4%.
• Canada was home to almost 4 million individuals (13.4%) who identified themselves as visible minorities in 2001, compared to 1.1 million (4.7%) in 1981 and 3.2 million (11.2%) in 1996.
• In 2001, 3 out of 10 individuals who identified as a visible minority were born in Canada.

Work and education

• Average earnings for Canadians 15 and over in 2000 was $31,757, up from $29,596 in 1990.
• One in 8 people traveled more than 25 km to work.
• From 1991 to 2001, the proportion of adults with university credentials grew from 15% to 20%.

For more information…
Please visit the Census Web site at www.census2006.ca

On Tuesday, May 16, continue a Canadian tradition and "count yourself in!"