InfoGuide: Historical resources

About this guide

This guide lists sources of historical statistics produced by Statistics Canada and its predecessor agencies. The guide also lists sources of information about the history of the Canadian census, surveys and statistical programs, and Statistics Canada.

The guide is a starting point to assist with finding historical resources; it is not an exhaustive list. If you cannot find the information you're looking for, please see the section "Search tools." This section includes links to other guides and online catalogues, which support more exhaustive searches. You can also contact the Statistics Canada Library Reference Desk by email or by phone at 613-951-8219. We are open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday to Friday.

Historical statistics

Historical statistics

This section lists resources that summarize historical statistics. Each resource compiles many years of data in a single document or table, or analyzes long-term trends. Where applicable, listings indicate the resource type, reference period, topics, and geography, unless already included in the title. Source information is provided for resources with contributors other than Statistics Canada.

General
Historical Statistics of Canada, second edition (11-516-X)

Resource type: Monograph with 1,088 tables
Reference period: 1867 to mid-1970s
Topics: Population and migration; vital statistics and health; social security; the labour force; wages and working conditions; gross national product, the capital stock, and productivity; the balance of international payments, international investment position and foreign trade; government finance; banking and finance; price indexes; lands and forests; agriculture; fisheries; mining; energy and electric power; manufactures; construction and housing; transportation and communication; internal trade; education/tuition; politics and government; justice
Geography: Varies depending on the table
Source: Social Science Federation of Canada and Statistics Canada, 1983. The first edition contains some additional information.

Canadian Megatrends (11-630-X)

Resource type: Series
Reference period: Varies depending on the paper
Topics: Population growth; fertility; resources; crime rate; parents and families; pensions; urbanization; unionization rates; minimum wage; evolution of housing and households; women in the workforce; bilingualism and language populations; life expectancy; causes of death; honey production; immigration and interprovincial migration; income; tourism; exports
Geography: Canada

Canadian Social Trends, "100 years of…" (11-008, No. 59, Winter 2000)

Resource type: Articles within an issue
Topics: Education, income and expenditures, health, urban development
Geography: Canada

Agriculture and food
The changing face of the Canadian fruit and vegetable sector: 1941 to 2011 (96-325-X, No. 003)

Resource type: Analytical paper
Topics: Blueberries, cranberries, grapes, tree fruits, vegetables, floriculture
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Farm capital, operating revenues and operating expenses, historical data (Table 32-10-0164-01)

Reference period: 1976 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Farms classified by operating arrangement, historical data (Table 32-10-0158-01)

Reference period: 1976 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Farms classified by total farm area, historical data (Table 32-10-0156-01)

Reference period: 1976 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Food in Canada

Resource type: Article within an issue (Human Activity and the Environment: Annual Statistics, 16-201-X, 2009)
Reference period: 1921 to 2006
Topics: Fishing and farming; impact of food system on the economy, environment and society
Geography: Mainly Canada and ecozones

Historical Overview of Canadian Agriculture (93-358-XPB)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1921 to 1996
Topics: Area of farms; land in crops; wheat; oats for grain; barley; corn for grain; flaxseed; potatoes; tree fruits; vegetables; cattle and calves; pigs; sheep and lambs; horses and ponies; hens and chickens; tractors; farm trucks
Geography: Canada and provinces

Land use, historical data (Table 32-10-0153-01)

Reference period: 1921 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Number and area of farms and farmland area by tenure, historical data (Table 32-10-0152-01)

Reference period: 1921 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Paid agricultural work, historical data (Table 32-10-0165-01)

Reference period: 1976 to 2011
Geography: Canada and provinces

Potato Historical Series (22-008)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1891 to 1992
Geography: Canada and provinces

Selected commodities by size, historical data (Table 32-10-0167-01)

Reference period: 1976 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Selected crops, historical data (Table 32-10-0154-01)

Reference period: 1921 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Selected farm machinery, historical data (Table 32-10-0163-01)

Reference period: 1921 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Selected livestock and poultry, historical data (Table 32-10-0155-01)

Reference period: 1921 to 2016
Geography: Canada and provinces

Cannabis
Cannabis consumer and producer prices (Table 36-10-0598-01)

Reference period: 1961 to 2018
Geography: Canada, regions, provinces and territories

Cannabis income account (x 1,000,000) (Table 36-10-0601-01)

Reference period: 1961 to 2018
Geography: Canada

Cannabis industry production account (x 1,000,000) (Table 36-10-0599-01)

Reference period: 1961 to 2018
Geography: Canada, regions, provinces and territories

Cannabis supply, use and gross domestic product (x 1,000,000) (Table 36-10-0600-01)

Reference period: 1961 to 2018
Geography: Canada

Prevalence of cannabis consumption in Canada (Table 36-10-0597-01)

Reference period: 1961 to 2018
Geography: Canada

Economic accounts, prices and price indexes
Canada's Balance of International Payments: Historical Statistics, 1926 to 1992 (67-508)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Transactions with the United States, the United Kingdom, and other foreign countries; current account; capital account

Canada's Public Debt Held by Non-Residents: Historical Perspectives, 1926 to 1992 (67F0001M1997005)

Resource type: Research paper
Topic: Accounting relationship between the public debt and the foreign debt of the country as a whole. Public debt refers here to the debt of all three levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal.

Fixed Capital Flows and Stocks: Historical, 1936-1983 (13-568, 1983)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Non-residential and residential; price indexes for capital expenditures on plant and equipment
Geography: Canada

Fixed Capital Flows and Stocks, 1961-1994: Historical (13-568, 1994)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Non-residential and residential; price indexes for capital expenditures on construction and machinery and equipment
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Historical capital stock baseweighted price indexes (Table 18-10-0081-01)

Reference period: 1900 to 1979
Geography: Canada

Historical index of constant price gross domestic product (GDP), by industry (Table 36-10-0387-01)

Reference period: 1919 to 1971
Geography: Canada

A Long-Run Version of the Bank of Canada Commodity Price Index, 1870 to 2015 (11F0019M, No. 399)

Resource type: Research paper

Natural Resources, the Terms of Trade, and Real Income Growth in Canada: 1870 to 2010 (11F0027M, No. 79)

Resource type: Research paper

Provincial Economic Accounts: Historical Issue, 1961-1986 (13-213)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Provincial Gross Domestic Product (income based and expenditure based); government sector revenue and expenditure (federal, provincial, and local); hospital revenue and expenditure; Canada and Quebec Pension Plan revenue and expenditure; direct taxes; indirect taxes; investment income; transfer payments

Public Finance Historical Data, 1965/66-1991/92 (68-512)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Government revenue and expenditure statistics for the federal, provincial and local governments in Canada based on a common universe, classification, concepts and methods. Also included are consolidated revenues and expenditures, which provide an indication of the total size of government by eliminating intergovernmental revenues and expenditures.

Public Sector Assets and Liabilities: Historical Overview (68-508)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference periods: Various
Topics: Federal government debt (1867-1993); federal government balance sheet (1970-1993); provincial and territorial government balance sheet (1970-1992); local government balance sheet (1976-1991); guaranteed debt of provincial and territorial governments (1970-1992); Canada Pension Plan balance sheet (1966-1993); federal government business enterprise balance sheet (1975-1992)

Urban Retail Food Prices, 1914-59 (62-514)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Geography: Canada

Education
Historical Compendium of Education Statistics from Confederation to 1975 (81-568)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1867 to 1975
Topics: Enrolment, teachers and expenditures at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels; public libraries, public school libraries, university and college libraries, museums and art galleries
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Education Statistics for the Seventies, 1979 (81-569)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Institutions, enrolment, teachers, graduates and expenditures at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Historical data: Tuition fees for degree programs, 1972/1973 to 2006/2007

Resource type: Tables
Topics: Canadian undergraduate tuition fees by field of study (Table 37-10-0150-01); international undergraduate tuition fees by field of study (Table 37-10-0159-01); Canadian and international tuition fees by level of study (Table 37-10-0160-01)
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Historical Tables for Census Education Data, 1971, 1976 and 1981: Canada, Regions, Provinces (13-579)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Highest level of schooling, highest university certificate or degree, highest grade of elementary-secondary and trades/vocational certificate, median years of schooling, school attendance

Supplement to "Historical Tables for Census Education Data 1971, 1976 and 1981" (13-579S)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Highest level of schooling, additional cross-tabulations (population characteristics, labour force, occupation, income)
Geography: Canada, regions, provinces and territories

Families and households
Detailed household final consumption expenditure, Canada, quarterly (x 1,000,000) (Table 36-10-0124-01)

Reference period: 1961 to present
Geography: Canada

Enduring Diversity: Living Arrangements of Children in Canada over 100 years of the Census (91F0015M, No. 11)

Resource type: Research paper
Reference period: 1901 to 2011
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, number of and average number of persons per household and family (Table 17-10-0075-01)

Reference period: 1881 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Marriage and Conjugal Life in Canada (91-534)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: Varies depending on the table; earliest date is 1640, latest date is 1991
Geography: Mainly Canada

Selected Marriage Statistics, 1921-1990 (82-552)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Numbers and rates of marriages; marriages by month; marriages by age and marital status; average and median age at marriage
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Health
Cancer Incidence in Canada, 1969-1993 (82-566)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Longevity and Historical Life Tables: 1921-1981 (abridged): Canada and the Provinces (89-506)

Resource type: Monograph with tables

New Birth Cohort Life Tables for Canada and Quebec, 1801-1991 (91F0015MIE, No. 003)

Resource type: Research paper

Selected Birth and Fertility Statistics, Canada, 1921-1990 (82-553)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Numbers and rates of live births; age-specific, total and general fertility rates; age of mother; birth order; birthweights
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Selected Infant Mortality and Related Statistics, Canada, 1921-1990 (82-549)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Infant, neonatal, post-neonatal and perinatal deaths and rates; maternal deaths and rates; stillbirth numbers and rates
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Selected Mortality Statistics, Canada, 1921-1990 (82-548)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Numbers and rates of deaths, age-specific and age-standardized death rates, mean and median age of decedents, deaths by age, sex, and marital status, natural increase of the population and rates, and life expectancy
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Selected Therapeutic Abortions Statistics, 1970-1991 (82-550)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Topics: Numbers and rates of therapeutic abortions; age-specific therapeutic abortion rates; teenage abortion rates; counts of abortions and rates from abortion clinics in Canada; counts of legal abortions from selected states, especially along Canada - United States border; selected demographic and medical characteristics of the Canadian women who obtained abortions in Canada
Geography: Canada, provinces, and territories
Note: In 1995, the collection of the data for the Therapeutic Abortion Survey was transferred from Statistics Canada to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). For more details, please see Does Statistics Canada collect this information?

Immigration and ethnocultural diversity
Blacks in Canada: A long history

Resource type: Article in an issue (Canadian Social Trends, 11-008, Spring 2004)
Reference period: 1871 to 2001
Geography: Canada

Chinese Canadians: Enriching the cultural mosaic

Resource type: Article in an issue (Canadian Social Trends, 11-008, Spring 2005)
Reference period: 1901 to 2001
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, country of birth of other British-born and foreign-born population (Table 43-10-0008-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, estimated population and immigrant arrivals (Table 17-10-0063-01)

Reference period: 1852 to 1977
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, immigration to Canada, by age, sex and marital status (Table 43-10-0001-01)

Reference period: 1933 to 1976
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, immigration to Canada, by country of last permanent residence (Table 43-10-0002-01)

Reference period: 1956 to 1976
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, immigration to Canada, by intended occupations and dependents (Table 14-10-0275-01)

Reference period: 1953 to 1976
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, origins of the population (Table 43-10-0003-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

A history of emigration from Canada

Resource type: Article in an issue (Canadian Social Trends, 11-008, No. 35, Winter 1994)
Reference period: 1851 to 1991
Geography: Canada

Immigrants in Canada: Selected Highlights (89-510)

Resource type: Monograph with charts
Reference period: 1852 to 1986
Geography: Canada

Labour
Historical Labour Force Statistics (71-201)

Resource type: Serial
Reference period: 1953 to 2000
Geography: Varies depending on the issue
Note: To access the digitized versions of different years, please click the link next to "Continues" and "Continued by" in the catalogue record.

Languages
Historical statistics, mother tongues of the population (Table 15-10-0002-01)

Reference period: 1931 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Languages in Canada, historical perspective

Resource type: Tables
Reference period: 1971 to 2016
Topics: Interprovincial migration by mother tongue (Table 15-10-0006-01); interprovincial migration by first official language spoken (Table 15-10-0007-01); and, population by language spoken most often at home and geography (Table 15-10-0008-01)
Geography: Provinces and territories

Population and demography
Historical age pyramid

Resource type: Histograms
Reference period: 1851 to 2036
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Historical statistics, population and population density per square mile (Table 17-10-0067-01)

Reference period: 1851 to 1971
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Historical statistics, population, by age and sex, urban and rural (x 1,000) (Table 17-10-0071-01)

Reference period: 1851 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, population, by birthplace, age and sex (x 1,000) (Table 43-10-0005-01)

Reference period: 1911 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, population, by birthplace and sex (Table 43-10-0004-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, population, by marital status, age group and sex (Table 17-10-0072-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, population in incorporated centres, by size groups (Table 17-10-0069-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Society and community
Historical statistics, principal religious denominations of the population (Table 17-10-0073-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, rural population, farm and non-farm (Table 17-10-0070-01)

Reference period: 1941 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Historical statistics, urban and rural population (Table 17-10-0068-01)

Reference period: 1871 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Transportation
Aviation in Canada: Historical and Statistical Perspectives on Civil Aviation (51-501)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1918 to 1992
Topics: Commercial and private flying; domestic and international passenger traffic; fleet composition and its evolution; effects of regulation and deregulation; air fares
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Canada Year Book

Canada Year Book
Canada Year Book, 1867 to 1967 (11-202, 11-205, 11-402)

Resource type: Monographs
Note: To access the digitized versions of different years, please click the link next to "Continued by" in the catalogue record.

Canada Year Book, 1867 to 1990 (11-202, 11-205, 11-402)

Resource type: Monographs
Note: Each page is a separate file.

Canada Year Book, 1906 to 2012 (11-202, 11-402)

Resource type: Monographs; available in print at the StatCan Library

Canada Year Book, 2006 to 2012 (11-402-X)

Resource type: Monographs

Census reports and datasets

Census reports and datasets
General
Censuses of Canada 1665 to 1871 (98-187-X)

Resource type: Monograph with 350 tables

Census publications, 1851 to 1996

Resource type: Monographs with tables

Census datasets, 1981 to present

Resource type: Tables
Note: Go to "Filter Datasets" and select the census year. Data can then be filtered by topic and geography.

1971 Census reports

The following reports from the 1971 Census summarize historical data from previous censuses.

Volume I (Part 1) – Population: Census Subdivisions: Historical (92-702)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1901 to 1971
Geography: Provinces and territories (1901 to 1971); census subdivisions (1921 to 1971)

Volume I (Part 3) – Population: Ethnic Groups (92-723)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1921 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Volume I (Part 3) – Population: Religious Denominations (92-724)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1921 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Volume I (Part 3) – Population: Mother Tongue (92-725)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1941 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Volume I (Part 3) – Population: Official Language and Language Most Often Spoken at Home (92-726)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1931 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Volume I (Part 3) – Population: Birthplace (92-727)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1921 to 1971
Geography: Canada

Volume III (Part 1) – Labour Force and Individual Income: Historical (94-702)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1911 to 1971
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Volume III (Part 2) – Occupations: Historical (94-716)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1931 to 1971
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Volume III (Part 4) – Industries: Historical (94-739)

Resource type: Monograph with table
Reference period: 1951 to 1971
Geography: Canada, provinces and territories

Maps and geography
Census boundary files

Resource type: Geospatial datasets
Reference period: Decennial censuses from 1851 to 1971; quinquennial censuses from 1976 to 2016
Description: From 1851 to 1961, data sets reconstruct the census compilation and dissemination geography. From 1971 to 2016, data series contain the geographic digital boundary files.
Geography:

  • census districts or divisions: 1851 to 1961, 1981 onward
  • census subdistricts or subdivisions: 1871, 1911 to 1951, 1981 onward
  • census tracts: 1951, 1961 (Toronto only), 1971, 1981 onward
  • census metropolitan areas: 1951, 1971, 1981 onward
  • enumeration areas: 1971, 1976, 1981 onward
  • other types of geographic areas: 1986 onward

Source: Scholars GeoPortal. Contributors include the Historical Atlas of Canada Online Learning Project, the University of Guelph's Department of Geography, the Canadian Century Research Infrastructure (CCRI), Statistics Canada's Data Liberation Initiative (DLI), the University of British Columbia's Data Services division, and the University of Toronto's Map and Data Library.

Early Postwar Canadian Census Data Creation Project Files

Resource type: Dataset
Reference period: Census years 1951, 1956, 1961 and 1966
Description: This dataset provides access to digitized census tract boundary files for census years 1951-1966. Tabular data and codebooks are also included.
Geography: Canada, census tracts
Source: Macdonald Hewitt, C. & Taylor, Z. (2023). Digitizing early postwar Canadian Census tract maps: Sources, methods and challenges. The Cartographic Journal.

Electoral Atlas of the Dominion of Canada (1895)

Resource type: Interactive map
Description: Provides access to the first set of detailed maps prepared by the Canadian government to show federal electoral boundaries. Most of the electoral districts described in this 1895 atlas are identical to the 1901 census districts.
Geography: Canada, provinces and electoral districts
Source: Library and Archives Canada
Note: A full copy of the atlas, including the introduction, is available through the University of British Columbia's collection.

Exploring historical geography using census microdata: The Canadian Century Research Infrastructure (CCRI) project

Resource type: E-book chapter
Reference period: 1911 to 1951
Description: Explains the CCRI's research methodology. Discusses census geography, including terms, availability of maps, and changes in boundaries.
Geography: Mainly census divisions and subdivisions
Source: Moldofsky, B., In Historical GIS Research in Canada, University of Calgary Press, 2014

Maps, charts and architectural plans collection: A search guide

Resource type: Search guide, including links to databases
Source: Library and Archives Canada
Note: See "Table showing the type of material and the databases it can be found in." Go to "Census Maps."

History of Statistics Canada

History of Statistics Canada
75 Years and Counting: A History of Statistics Canada (11-531)

Resource type: Monograph
Reference period: 1918 to 1993

Annual Report of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics (11-201)

Resource type: Serial
Reference period: 1919 to 1927, 1948, 1950 to 1992
Note: To access the digitized versions of different years, please click the links next to "Continues" and "Continued by" in the catalogue record.

Canada comes of age statistically

Resource type: Journal article
Source: Worton, D. A. (1998). Canada comes of age statistically. Canadian Business Economics, 6(4), 70-77.
Note: Subscription required for full-text access. Contact your local library for access.

The Dominion Bureau of Statistics: A History of Canada's Central Statistics Office and its Antecedents, 1841-1972

Resource type: Monograph; available in print at the StatCan Library, 12-582-XPE
Source: Worton, D. A., McGill-Queen's University Press, 1998

Dominion Bureau of Statistics: History, Function, Organization

Resource type: Monograph; available in print at the StatCan Library, 12-D-52
Source: Prepared for United Nations International Seminar on Statistical Organization, 1952

History of Official Statistics in Canada

Resource type: Video recording; available at the StatCan Library, DVD-ROM 011

A hundred years and more of statistics acts (89-20-0002, No. 2018001)

Resource type: Article

Robert H. Coats, architect of Canada's national statistical system

Resource type: Book chapter; available in print at the StatCan Library, HA12 E73 2000
Source: Worton, D. A., In The Age of Numbers, Presses de l'Université du Québec, 2000

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: History of Statistics Canada: 1970 to 2008 (89-20-000)

Resource type: Monograph

History of the census, surveys, statistical programs, and methods

History of the census, surveys, statistical programs, and methods
History of the census and questionnaire content
The Aboriginal Population and the Census: 120 Years of Information, 1871-1991 (91F0045XPE)

Resource type: Conference paper
Source: Presented at the 22nd General Population Conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population, Montréal, Canada, 1993

Canadian Century Research Infrastructure

Resource type: Website with links to documents
Reference period: 1851 to 2001 (decennial censuses only), 2006
Description: Census questionnaires (also known as schedules) are available for each decennial census year from 1871 to 1971.

Census of Population and National Household Survey questionnaire content and derived variables since Confederation

Resource type: Table in Appendix 2.0, Dictionary, Census of Population, 2016 (98-301-X)
Reference period: first time question was in census before 1981, and 1981 to 2016
Topics: Demographic characteristics; ethno-cultural and language characteristics; activity limitations; education; household activities; labour market activities; journey to work; income characteristics; family and household characteristics; dwelling characteristics; coverage; wartime service

City of Québec 1608-2008: 400 years of censuses

Resource type: Article in an issue (Canadian Social Trends, 11-008, No. 85, Summer 2008)

Collecting Census Data on Canada's Visible Minority Population: A Historical Perspective (89F0031MPE)

Resource type: Monograph with tables
Reference period: 1981 to 1991

Les concepts et les questions posées sur les langues aux recensements canadiens de 1901 à 1961

Resource type: Journal article
Source: Houle, R., & Cambron-Prémont, A. (2015). Les concepts et les questions posées sur les langues aux recensements canadiens de 1901 à 1961. Cahiers Québécois de Démographie, 44(2), 291-310.
Note: French only

The Dawn of Canada's Century: Hidden Histories

Resource type: Monograph; available in print at the StatCan Library, FC550 D39 2014
Topics: The CCRI geographical files; infrastructures of census taking; Canada's Aboriginal population; aging and social reproduction; immigration and ethnic diversity; labour market dynamics; interpretations of everyday lives based on the first national sample of the 1911 census
Source: Darroch, G., McGill-Queen's University Press, 2014

Evolution of ethnocultural questions in the Canadian Census

Resource type: Chart in a presentation (Montréal – A Data Story on Ethnocultural Diversity and Inclusion in Canada, 11-631-X)
Reference period: 1871 to 2016

History of the Census of Canada

Resource type: Article

More than a century of censuses in Canada (89-20-0002, No. 2019001)

Resource type: Article

The Politics of Population: State Formation, Statistics, and the Census of Canada, 1840-1875

Resource type: Monograph; available in print at the StatCan Library, HA37 .C22 C87 2001
Source: Curtis, B., University of Toronto Press, 2001

History of surveys, statistical programs, and methods
Agriculture statistics: A historical perspective

Resource type: Article within an issue (Vista on the Agri-food Industry and the Farm Community, 21-004-XPB, September 1998)
Reference period: 1667 to 1970s

The development and evolution of the national accounts: "This great invention of the 20th century"

Resource type: Journal article
Source: Crozier, R. (1998). The development and evolution of the national accounts: This great invention of the 20th century. Canadian Business Economics, 6(4), 62-69.
Note: Subscription required for full-text access. Contact your local library for access.

Environmental Statistics and Sustainability Indicators: The Work of Statistics Canada

Resource type: Discussion paper
Source: For discussion by the National Statistics Council, November 16-17, 1995

Exploring the First Century of Canada's Consumer Price Index (62-604-X)

Resource type: Analytical paper

A historical timeline of Canadian producer price statistics (62F0014M)

Resource type: Interactive timeline
Reference period: 1605 to 2017

History and development of the theoretical foundations of survey based estimation and analysis

Resource type: Article within an issue (Survey Methodology, 12-001, Vol. 16, No. 1, June 1990)

A history of business surveys at Statistics Canada: From the era of the gifted amateur to that of scientific methodology

Resource type: Book chapter; available in print at the StatCan Library, HA31.2 S874 1995
Source: Worton, D. A., & Platek, R., In Business Survey Methods, Wiley, 1995

History of Canada's macroeconomic accounts

Resource type: Chapter in user guide (Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts,13-606-G)

History of the Canadian Labour Force Survey, 1945 to 2016 (75-005-M)

Resource type: Technical paper

The politics of measurable precision: The emergence of sampling techniques in Canada's Dominion

Resource type: Journal article
Source: Beaud, J.-P., & Prévost, J.-G. (1998). The politics of measurable precision: The emergence of sampling techniques in Canada's Dominion. Canadian Historical Review, 79(4), 691-725.
Note: Subscription required for full-text access. Contact your local library for access.

Family history research

Family history research

Statistics Canada's commitment to keeping the confidentiality of the information obtained from the Canadian public is enshrined in the Statistics Act and the Agency's various policies and practices related to data collection, analysis and dissemination activities as well as the Privacy Act.

All information provided to Statistics Canada through surveys, the census or any other source is confidential. Statistics Canada does not release any information that identifies an individual or group without prior consent. Similarly, no other government institution has the right to see the answers given in confidence to Statistics Canada without this consent.

355 years and counting

Resource type: Blog posts
Description: Explains the kinds of information you can find in the census; discusses tips and best practices for doing family research through the census; and, presents a concrete example of what you can learn about your family history by using the census.

Census Pension Searches Program

Note: Information from post-1926 census records and 2011 National Household Survey records can only be provided to the person named in the record, or the legal representative of a minor or dependent adult, or the legal representative of a deceased person for the sole purpose of administering the estate of that person.

Census returns, 1926 and earlier

Resource type: Databases containing digitized census returns (records of individual responses to census questions)
Reference period: 1825 to 1926 (online databases); 1640 to 1945 (microfilm)
Source: Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
Note: LAC's website also provides background information on historical censuses, such as how censuses were collected. For genealogy questions, please contact Library and Archives Canada.

Searches of the National Registration File of 1940

Description: The National Registration File of 1940 resulted from the compulsory registration of all persons, 16 years of age or older, in the period from 1940 to 1946.

Search tools

Search tools

The tools below will help you expand your search beyond the publications identified in this guide.

Statistics Canada Library catalogue

Resource type: Online public access catalogue (OPAC)
Description: Contains records of all Statistics Canada publications and provides links to digitized content on the Internet Archive and Government of Canada publications. Documents in the STC Supplementary collection of working papers have not been digitized, but they are searchable and may be available upon request.
Note: You may also try referring to the former print version of the Statistics Canada catalogue, last published in 1997. All of the records in the print version are included in the current online catalogue.

Historical Catalogue of Statistics Canada Publications, 1918-1980 (11-512)

Resource type: Monograph
Description: Provides a complete record of all catalogued publications of Statistics Canada and of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics in a single volume. The publication also includes references to materials dating from the 1851 Census of Canada and a number of publications of other federal departments issued prior to 1918.

Census of Canada report locator: 1851-1951

Resource type: Excel spreadsheet
Description: Contains a checklist of Census publications from 1851 to 1951 and provides links to electronic copies found in the Internet Archive when available. The list of reports is taken from the Historical Catalogue of Statistics Canada Publications, 1918-1980 (11-512).
Source: Durkin, K., Everall, K., Fisher, L., Galvin-Grant, V., Kingston, K., & Wadden, J., Scholars Portal Dataverse, V3, 2015

Historical Population Census Data, 1665-2016

Resource type: Search guide
Description: Provides links to the most used census publications and tables, with a focus on the census subdivisions included in country-wide censuses.
Note: This link provides intranet access to Statistics Canada employees only. Members of the public, or other institutions, may contact the Library to obtain a copy of the document.

Listing of Supplementary Documents (11-207)

Resource type: Serial
Description: Provides a listing of Statistics Canada research papers, technical reports and conference proceedings that are not covered in the historical catalogue. The 1991 edition is a revised accumulation that replaces and updates previous editions.

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