Families, households and marital status – 2021 Census promotional material

Help spread the word about 2021 Census data on families, households and marital status in Canada. These data were released on July 13, 2022.

Quick facts

  • Among G7 countries, Canada has the highest share of couples that are living common law (23%), owing to the popularity of this type of union in Quebec—home to 43% of Canada's common-law couples. Excluding Quebec, the share of common-law couples in Canada would have been 17% in 2021.
  • Compared with previous generations, today's younger adults are less likely to be living as part of a couple—as alternatives like living alone, with roommates or with parents have become more common.
  • In the 2021 Census, couples could be classified according to their gender diversity status the first time.
  • The combined trends of population aging and decreasing fertility have resulted in fewer couples with children living at home with them.
  • Households composed of roommates—that is, two or more people living together, among which none are part of a census family—are the fastest-growing household type.
  • Households composed of roommates—that is, two or more people living together, among which none are part of a census family—are the fastest-growing household type.
  • Continuing a long-term pattern of growth, 4.4 million people lived alone in 2021, up from 1.7 million in 1981. This represented 15% of all adults aged 15 and older in private households in 2021, the highest share on record.

Resources

Social media content

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  • Make your own posts with downloadable images and text.

Post 1

Post 1 image

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The title of the infographic is "Prevalence of one-person households"

This is a world map showing the proportion of all households that are one-person households among G7 countries and other countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, South Korea and Australia) in 2021 or the most recent year available.

Each G7 country is highlighted on the world map. Their names and flags are displayed as well as their proportions of one-person households: 29.3% for Canada, 28.5% for the United States, 29.5% for the United Kingdom, 36.9% for France, 33.2% for Italy, 40.8% for Germany and 34.6% for Japan.

The names and flags of other selected countries are also displayed along with their respective proportions of one-person households: 45.3% for Finland, 40.7% for Sweden, 40.0% for Norway, 39.1% for Denmark, 38.0% for Austria, 30.2% for South Korea and 25.0% for Australia.

Note(s): Proportion of all households that are one-person households, selected countries, most recent year available.

Source(s): Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021 (3901); United States Census Bureau, 2021; United Kingdom, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, UNECE Statistical Database, 2019; France, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, 2018; Italy, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (Istat), 2021; Germany, Statistisches Bundesamt, 2020; Statistics Bureau of Japan, Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2015; Statistics Finland, 2020; Statistics Sweden, 2021; Statistics Norway, 2021; Statistics Denmark, StatBank, 2021; Statistics Austria, 2021; South Korea, Statistics Korea, 2019; Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2016.

There were 4.4 million people in Canada living alone in 2021, up from 4.0 million in 2016. Learn more about newly released living arrangement data from the #2021Census: https://bit.ly/3AKIsRs

Post 2

Post 2 image

Alt text / description - Post 2 image

The title of the infographic is "Prevalence of living common law among couples"

The infographic displays the national flags of a selection of 10 countries. Beneath each national flag, the proportion (%) of couples that are living common law is displayed, for the most recent year available, as follows: Sweden (33%), Norway (31%), Finland (28%), Canada (23%), United Kingdom (21%), France1 (18%), Germany (16%), Denmark (16%), United States2 (12%), Italy (10%).

  1. Proportion of couples that were in "union libre"; excludes "couples pacsés" who have made the Pacte de solidarité civil (Pacs).
  2. Proportion is calculated on the basis of couple households, as opposed to couple families.

Notes(s): Percentages refer to the proportion of all co-resident couples that are living common law or equivalent unmarried co-resident union, e.g., cohabiting couples.

Source(s): Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021 (3901); Statistics Sweden, 2020; Statistics Norway, StatBank, 2021; Statistics Finland, 2020; United Kingdom, Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2020; France, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, 2019; Germany, Statistisches Bundesamt, 2020; Statistics Denmark, StatBank, 2021; United States Census Bureau, 2019; Italy, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (Istat), 2020.

Canada has the highest share of couples living common law among the G7. Check out how Canada compares to other countries in the most recent census data release: https://bit.ly/3PmaMOj

Post 3

A family standing beside a tree while the sun sets

Share the news on Instagram. Create your own Instagram story using this downloadable image. Don't forget to add census stickers by searching "2021 Census" in the stickers search bar.

Web images

Families tile (JPG, 91 KB)
Man and woman on the beach. The man has a smiling baby on his shoulders

Couples tile (JPG, 94 KB)
Couple standing in front of green trees

Terms of use

See the Census engagement toolkits—Terms of use for information on the approved use of official wordmarks, identifiers and content.

Date modified:

Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP)

Reporting Guide

This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2021 Annual Survey of Research and Development in Canadian Industry – Industrial Non-Profit Organizations. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.

Help Line: 1-877-949-9492

Your answers are confidential.

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act.

Statistics Canada will use information from this survey for statistical purposes.

NOTE:

  1. If this organization performs in-house research and development (R&D) and outsources R&D, complete all questions.
  2. If this organization performs in-house (R&D) and does not outsource R&D, complete questions 1-6, 9-22.
  3. If this organization outsources (R&D) and does not perform in-house R&D, complete questions 1-4, 6-8, 13, 17-22.
  4. If this organization does not perform in-house (R&D) and does not outsource R&D, complete questions 1-4, 6, 13, 17, 18 & 20-22.

For this survey

'In-house R&D' refers to

Expenditures within Canada for R&D performed within this organization by:

  • employees (permanent, temporary or casual)
  • self-employed individuals or contractors who are working on-site on this organization's R&D projects.

'Outsourced R&D' refers to

Payments made within or outside Canada to other organizations, businesses or individuals to fund R&D performance:

  • grants
  • fellowships
  • contracts.

Reporting period information

Here are some examples of common fiscal periods that fall within the targeted dates:

  • May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021
  • July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021
  • October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021
  • January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021
  • February 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022
  • April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022

Here are other examples of fiscal periods that fall within the required dates:

  • September 18, 2020 to September 15, 2021 (e.g., floating year-end)
  • June 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 (e.g., a newly opened organization)

Definitions and Concepts

Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.

R&D is performed in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. There are three types of R&D activities: basic research, applied research and experimental development.

Activities included and excluded from R&D

Inclusions

Prototypes

Include design, construction and operation of prototypes, provided that the primary objective is to make further improvements or to undertake technical testing. Exclude if the prototype is for commercial purposes.

Pilot plants

Include construction and operation of pilot plants, provided that the primary objective is to make further improvements or to undertake technical testing. Exclude if the pilot plant is intended to be operated for commercial purposes.

New computer software or significant improvements/modifications to existing computer software

Includes technological or scientific advances in theoretical computer sciences; operating systems e.g., improvement in interface management, developing new operating system or converting an existing operating system to a significantly different hardware environment; programming languages; and applications if a significant technological change occurs.

Contracts

Include all contracts which require R&D. For contracts which include other work, report only the R&D costs.

Research work in the social sciences

Include if projects are employing new or significantly different modelling techniques or developing new formulae, analyzing data not previously available or applying new research techniques, development of community strategies for disease prevention, or health education.

Exclude:

  • routine analytical projects using standard techniques and existing data
  • routine market research
  • routine statistical analysis intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

Exclusions

Routine analysis in the social sciences including policy-related studies, management studies and efficiency studies

Exclude analytical projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies, principles and models of the related social sciences to bear on a particular problem (e.g., commentary on the probable economic effects of a change in the tax structure, using existing economic data; use of standard techniques in applied psychology to select and classify industrial and military personnel, students, etc., and to test children with reading or other disabilities).

Consumer surveys, advertising, market research

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for commercialization of the results of R&D.

Routine quality control and testing

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies not intended to create new knowledge, even if carried out by personnel normally engaged in R&D.

Pre-production activities such as demonstration of commercial viability, tooling up, trial production, and trouble shooting

Although R&D may be required as a result of these steps, these activities are excluded.

Prospecting, exploratory drilling, development of mines, oil or gas wells

Include only if for R&D projects concerned with new equipment or techniques in these activities, such as in-situ and tertiary recovery research.

Engineering

Exclude engineering unless it is in direct support of R&D.

Design and drawing

Exclude design and drawing unless it is in direct support of R&D.

Patent and license work

Exclude all administrative and legal work connected with patents and licenses.

Cosmetic modifications or style changes to existing products

Exclude if no significant technical improvement or modification to the existing products has occurred.

General purpose or routine data collection

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

Routine computer programming, systems maintenance or software application

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended to support on-going operations.

Routine mathematical or statistical analysis or operations analysis

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

Activities associated with standards compliance

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended to support standards compliance.

Specialized routine medical care such as routine pathology services

Exclude projects of a routine nature, with established methodologies intended for on-going monitoring of an activity.

In-house R&D expenditures within Canada (Q3 – Q7)

In-house R&D expenditures are composed of current in-house R&D expenditures and capital in-house R&D expenditures.

Current in-house R&D expenditures

Include:

  • wages, salaries, benefits and fringe benefits, materials and supplies
  • services to support R&D, including on-site R&D consultants and contactors
  • necessary background literature
  • minor scientific equipment
  • associated administrative overhead costs.

a. Wages, salaries of permanent, temporary and casual R&D employees

Include benefits and fringe benefits of employees engaged in R&D activities. Benefits and fringe benefits include bonus payments, holiday or vacation pay, pension fund contributions, other social security payments, payroll taxes, etc.

b. Services to support R&D

Include:

  • payments to on-site R&D consultants and contractors working under the direct control of your organization
  • other services including indirect services purchased to support in-house R&D such as security, storage, repair, maintenance and use of buildings and equipment
  • computer services, software licensing fees and dissemination of R&D findings.

c. R&D materials

Include:

  • water, fuel, gas and electricity
  • materials for creation of prototypes
  • reference materials (books, journals, etc.)
  • subscriptions to libraries and data bases, memberships to scientific societies, etc.
  • cost of outsourced (contracted out or granted) small R&D prototypes or R&D models
  • materials for laboratories (chemicals, animals, etc.)
  • all other R&D-related materials.

d. All other current R&D costs including overhead

Include administrative and overhead costs (e.g., office, post and telecommunications, internet, insurance), prorated if necessary to allow for non-R&D activities within the organization.

Exclude:

  • interest charges
  • value-added taxes (goods and services tax (GST) or harmonized sales tax (HST)).

Capital in-house R&D expenditures

Capital in-house R&D expenditures are the annual gross amount paid for the acquisition of fixed assets that are used repeatedly, or continuously in the performance of R&D for more than one year. Report capital in-house R&D expenditures in full for the period when they occurred.

Include costs for software, land, buildings and structures, equipment, machinery and other capital costs.

Exclude capital depreciation.

e. Software

Include applications and systems software (original, customized and off-the-shelf software), supporting documentation and other software-related acquisitions.

f. Land acquired for R&D including testing grounds, sites for laboratories and pilot plants.

g. Buildings and structures that are constructed or purchased for R&D activities or that have undergone major improvements, modifications, renovations and repairs for R&D activities.

h. Equipment, machinery and all other capital

Include major equipment, machinery and instruments, including embedded software, acquired for R&D activities.

Outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D expenditures (Q8 – Q11)

Include payments made through contracts, grants donations and fellowships to another company, organization or individual to purchase or fund R&D activities.

Exclude expenditures for on-site R&D contractors.

  1. Companies include all incorporated for-profit businesses and government business enterprises providing products in the market at market rates.
  2. Private non-profit organizations include voluntary health organizations, private philanthropic foundations, associations and societies and research institutes. They are not-for-profit organizations that serve the public interest by supporting activities related to public welfare (such as health, education, the environment).
  3. Industrial research institutes or associations include all non-profit organizations that serve the business sector, with industrial associations frequently consisting of their membership.
  4. Federal government includes all federal government departments and agencies. It excludes federal government business enterprises providing products in the market.
  5. Provincial or territorial governments include all provincial or territorial government ministries, departments and agencies. It excludes provincial or territorial government business enterprises providing products in the market.
  6. Provincial or territorial research organizations are organizations created under provincial or territorial law which conduct or facilitate research on behalf of the province or territory.
  7. Other organizations – individuals, non-university educational institutions, foreign governments including ministries, departments and agencies of foreign governments.

Sources of funds for in-house R&D expenditures in 2021 (Q15 - Q16)

Include Canadian and foreign sources.

Exclude:

  • payments for outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D, which should be reported in question 10
  • capital depreciation.
  1. Funds from this organization

    Amount contributed by this organization to R&D performed within Canada (include interest payments and other income, land, buildings, machinery and equipment (capital expenditures) purchased for R&D).

  2. Funds from member companies or affiliates

    Amount received from member organizations and affiliated organizations used to perform R&D within Canada (include annual fees and sustaining grants, land, buildings, machinery and equipment (capital expenditures) purchased for R&D).

  3. Federal government grants or funding

    Funds received from the federal government in support of R&D activities not connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

  4. Federal government contracts

    Funds received from the federal government in support of R&D activities connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

  5. R&D contract work for companies

    Funds received from companies to perform R&D on their behalf.

  6. Provincial or territorial government grants or funding

    Funds received from the provincial or territorial government in support of R&D activities not connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

  7. Provincial or territorial government contracts

    Funds received from the provincial or territorial government in support of R&D activities connected to a specific contractual deliverable.

  8. R&D contract work for private non-profit organizations

    Funds received from non-profit organizations to perform R&D on their behalf.

  9. Other sources

    Funds received from all other sources not previously classified.

Fields of R&D for in-house R&D expenditures within Canada in 2021 (Q17 - Q18)

Exclude:

  • payments for outsourced (contracted out or granted) R&D, which should be reported in question 10
  • capital depreciation.

Natural and formal sciences

Mathematics, physical sciences, chemical sciences, earth and related environmental sciences, biological sciences, other natural sciences.

Exclude computer sciences, information sciences and bioinformatics (to be reported at lines s. and t).

  1. Mathematics: pure mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics and probability.
  2. Physical sciences: atomic, molecular and chemical physics, interaction with radiation, magnetic resonances, condensed matter physics, solid state physics and superconductivity, particles and fields physics, nuclear physics, fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics), optics (including laser optics and quantum optics), acoustics, astronomy (including astrophysics, space science).
  3. Chemical sciences: organic chemistry, inorganic and nuclear chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer science and plastics, electrochemistry (dry cells, batteries, fuel cells, metal corrosion, electrolysis), colloid chemistry, analytical chemistry.
  4. Earth and related environmental sciences: geosciences, geophysics, mineralogy and palaeontology, geochemistry and geophysics, physical geography, geology and volcanology, environmental sciences, meteorology, atmospheric sciences and climatic research, oceanography, hydrology and water resources.
  5. Biological sciences: cell biology, microbiology and virology, biochemistry, molecular biology and biochemical research, mycology, biophysics, genetics and heredity (medical genetics under medical biotechnology), reproductive biology (medical aspects under medical biotechnology), developmental biology, plant sciences and botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology and behavioural sciences biology, marine biology, freshwater biology and limnology, ecology and biodiversity conservation, biology (theoretical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), evolutionary biology.
  6. Other natural sciences: other natural sciences.

Engineering and Technology

Civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and communications technology, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, materials engineering, medical engineering, environmental engineering, environmental biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, nanotechnology, other engineering and technologies.

Exclude software engineering and technology (to be reported at line r).

  1. Civil engineering: civil engineering, architecture engineering, municipal and structural engineering, transport engineering.
  2. Electrical engineering, electronic engineering and communications technology: electrical and electronic engineering, robotics and automatic control, micro-electronics, semiconductors, automation and control systems, communication engineering and systems, telecommunications, computer hardware and architecture.
  3. Mechanical engineering: mechanical engineering, applied mechanics, thermodynamics, aerospace engineering, nuclear-related engineering (nuclear physics under Physical sciences), acoustical engineering, reliability analysis and non-destructive testing, automotive and transportation engineering and manufacturing, tooling, machinery and equipment engineering and manufacturing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning engineering and manufacturing.
  4. Chemical engineering: chemical engineering (plants, products), chemical process engineering.
  5. Materials engineering: materials engineering and metallurgy, ceramics, coating and films (including packaging and printing), plastics, rubber and composites (including laminates and reinforced plastics), paper and wood and textiles, construction materials (organic and inorganic).
  6. Medical engineering: medical and biomedical engineering, medical laboratory technology (excluding biomaterials, which should be reported under Industrial biotechnology).
  7. Environmental engineering: environmental and geological engineering, petroleum engineering (fuel, oils), energy and fuels, remote sensing, mining and mineral processing, marine engineering, sea vessels and ocean engineering.
  8. Environmental biotechnology: environmental biotechnology, bioremediation, diagnostic biotechnologies in environmental management (DNA chips and bio-sensing devices).
  9. Industrial biotechnology: industrial biotechnology, bioprocessing technologies, biocatalysis and fermentation bioproducts (products that are manufactured using biological material as feedstock), biomaterials (bioplastics, biofuels, bioderived bulk and fine chemicals, bio-derived materials).
  10. Nanotechnology: nano-materials (production and properties), nano-processes (applications on nano-scale).
  11. Other engineering and technologies: food and beverages, oenology, other engineering and technologies.

Software-related sciences and technology

Software engineering and technology, computer sciences, information technology and bioinformatics.

  1. Software engineering and technology: computer software engineering, computer software technology, and other related computer software engineering and technologies.
  2. Computer sciences: computer science, artificial intelligence, cryptography, and other related computer sciences.
  3. Information technology and bioinformatics: information technology, informatics, bioinformatics, biomathematics, and other related information technologies.

Medical and health sciences

Basic medicine, clinical medicine, health sciences, medical biotechnology, other medical sciences.

  1. Basic medicine: anatomy and morphology (plant science under Biological science), human genetics, immunology, neurosciences, pharmacology and pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, toxicology, physiology and cytology, pathology.
  2. Clinical medicine: andrology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, cardiac and cardiovascular systems, haematology, anaesthesiology, orthopaedics, radiology and nuclear medicine, dentistry, oral surgery and medicine, dermatology, venereal diseases and allergy, rheumatology, endocrinology and metabolism and gastroenterology, urology and nephrology, and oncology.
  3. Health sciences: health care sciences and nursing, nutrition and dietetics, parasitology, infectious diseases and epidemiology, occupational health.
  4. Medical biotechnology: health-related biotechnology, technologies involving the manipulation of cells, tissues, organs or the whole organism, technologies involving identifying the functioning of DNA, proteins and enzymes, pharmacogenomics, gene-based therapeutics, biomaterials (related to medical implants, devices, sensors).
  5. Other medical sciences: forensic science, other medical sciences.

Agricultural Sciences

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences, animal and dairy sciences, veterinary sciences, agricultural biotechnology, other agricultural sciences.

  1. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sciences: agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, soil science, horticulture, viticulture, agronomy, plant breeding and plant protection.
  2. Animal and dairy sciences: animal and dairy science, animal husbandry.
  3. Veterinary sciences: veterinary science (all).
  4. Agricultural biotechnology: agricultural biotechnology and food biotechnology, genetically modified (GM) organism technology and livestock cloning, diagnostics (DNA chips and biosensing devices), biomass feedstock production technologies and biopharming.
  5. Other agricultural sciences: other agricultural sciences.

Social sciences and humanities

Psychology, educational sciences, economics and business, other social sciences, humanities.

  1. Psychology: cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics, experimental psychology, psychometrics and quantitative psychology, and other fields of psychology.
  2. Educational sciences: education, training and other related educational sciences.
  3. Economics and business: micro-economics, macro-economics, econometrics, labour economics, financial economics, business economics, entrepreneurial and business administration, management and operations, management sciences, finance and all other related fields of economics and business.
  4. Other social sciences: anthropology (social and cultural) and ethnology, demography, geography (human, economic and social), planning (town, city and country), management, organization and methods (excluding market research unless new methods/techniques are developed), law, linguistics, political sciences, sociology, miscellaneous social sciences and interdisciplinary, and methodological and historical science and technology activities relating to subjects in this group.
  5. Humanities: history (history, prehistory and history, together with auxiliary historical disciplines such as archaeology, numismatics, palaeography, genealogy, etc.), languages and literature (ancient and modern), other humanities (philosophy (including the history of science and technology)), arts (history of art, art criticism, painting, sculpture, musicology, dramatic art excluding artistic "research" of any kind), religion, theology, other fields and subjects pertaining to the humanities, and methodological, historical and other science and technology activities relating to the subjects in this group.

In-house R&D personnel in 2021 (Q70 - Q72)

R&D personnel

Include:

  • permanent, temporary and casual R&D employees
  • independent on-site R&D consultants and contractors working in your organization's offices, laboratories, or other facilities
  • employees engaged in R&D-related support activities.

Researchers and research managers are composed of:

  1. Scientists, social scientists, engineers and researchers are professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models, techniques instrumentation, software or operational methods. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.
  2. Senior research managers plan or manage R&D projects and programs. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.

R&D technical, administrative and support staff are composed of:

  1. Technicians and technologists and research assistants are persons whose main tasks require technical knowledge and experience in one or more fields of engineering, the physical and life sciences, or the social sciences, humanities and the arts. They participate in R&D by performing scientific and technical tasks involving the application of concepts, operational methods and the use of research equipment, normally under the supervision of researchers. They may be certified by provincial or territorial educational authorities, provincial, territorial or national scientific or engineering associations.
  2. Other R&D technical, administrative support staff include skilled and unskilled craftsmen, and administrative, secretarial and clerical staff participating in R&D projects or directly associated with such projects.

On-site R&D consultants and contractors are individuals hired 1) to perform project-based work or to provide goods at a fixed or ascertained price or within a certain time or 2) to provide advice or services in a specialized field for a fee and, in both cases, work at the location specified and controlled by the contracting company or organization.

Full-time equivalent (FTE)

R&D may be carried out by persons who work solely on R&D projects or by persons who devote only part of their time to R&D, and the balance to other activities such as testing, quality control and production engineering. To arrive at the total effort devoted to R&D in terms of personnel, it is necessary to estimate the full-time equivalent of these persons working only part-time in R&D.

FTE (full-time equivalent): Number of persons who work solely on R&D projects + the time of persons working only part of their time on R&D.

Example calculation: If out of four scientists engaged in R&D work, one works solely on R&D projects and the remaining three devote only one quarter of their working time to R&D, then: FTE = 1 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1.75 scientists.

Technology and technical assistant payments in 2021 (Q73 - Q75)

Definitions (equivalent to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office: Canadian Intellectual Property Office)

  1. Patent

    Government grant giving the right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention.

  2. Copyright

    Legal protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works, computer programs, performer's performances, sound recordings, and communication signals.

  3. Trademark

    A word, symbol or design, or combination of these, used to distinguish goods or services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace.

  4. Industrial design

    Legal protection against imitation of the shape, pattern, or ornamentation of an object.

  5. Integrated circuit topography

    Three-dimensional configurations of the elements and interconnections embodied in an integrated circuit product.

  6. Original software

    Computer programs and descriptive materials for both systems and applications. Original software can be created in-house or outsourced and includes packaged software with customization.

  7. Packaged or off-the-shelf software

    Packaged software purchased for organizational use and excludes software with customization.

  8. Databases

    Data files organized to permit effective access and use of the data.

  9. Other

    Technical assistance, industrial processes and know-how.

Energy-related R&D by area of technology (Q22 - Q69)

Fossil Fuels

Crude oils and natural gas exploration, crude oils and natural gas production, oil sands and heavy crude oils surface and sub-surface production and separation of the bitumen, tailings management, refining, processing and upgrading, coal production, separation and processing, transportation of fossil fuels.

  1. Crude oils and natural gas exploration

    Include development of advanced exploration methods (geophysical, geochemical, seismic, magnetic) for on-shore and off-shore prospecting.

  2. Crude oil and natural gas production and storage, include enhanced recovery natural gas production

    Include on-shore and off-shore deep drilling equipment and techniques for conventional oil and gas, secondary and tertiary recovery of oil and gas, hydro fracturing techniques, processing and cleaning of raw product, storage on remote platforms (e.g., Arctic, off-shore), safety aspects of offshore platforms.

  3. Oil sands and heavy crude oils surface and sub-surface production and separation of the bitumen, tailings management

    Include surface and in-situ production (e.g., SAGD), tailings management.

  4. Refining, processing and upgrading of fossil fuels

    Include processing of natural gas to pipeline specifications, and refining of conventional crude oils to refined petroleum products (RPPs), and the upgrading of bitumen and heavy oils either to synthetic crude oil or to RPPs. Upgrading may be done at an oil sands plant, regional merchant upgraders or integrated into a refinery producing RPPs.

  5. Coal production, separation and processing

    Include coal, lignite and peat exploration, deposit evaluation techniques, mining techniques, separation techniques, coking and blending, other processing such as coal to liquids, underground (in-situ) gasification.

  6. Transportation of fossil fuels

    Include transport of gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons via pipelines (land and submarine) and their network evaluation, safety aspects of LNG transport and storage.

Renewable energy resources

Solar photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal-power and high-temperature applications, solar heating and cooling, wind energy, bio-energy – biomass production, bio-energy – biomass conversion to fuels, bio-energy – biomass conversion to heat and electricity, other bio-energy, small hydro (less than 10 MW), large hydro (greater than or equal to 10 MW), other renewable energy.

  1. Solar photovoltaics (PV)

    Include solar cell development, PV-module development, PV-inverter development, building-integrated PV-modules, PV-system development, other.

  2. Solar thermal-power and high-temperature applications

    Include solar chemistry, concentrating collector development, solar thermal power plants, high-temperature applications for heat and power.

  3. Solar heating and cooling

    Include daylighting, passive and active solar heating and cooling, collector development, hot water preparation, combined-space heating, solar architecture, solar drying, solar-assisted ventilation, swimming pool heating, low-temperature process heating, other.

  4. Wind energy

    Include technology development, such as blades, turbines, converters structures, system integration, other.

  5. Bio-energy – Biomass production and transport

    Include improvement of energy crops, research on bio-energy production potential and associated land-use effects, supply and transport of bio-solids, bio-liquids, biogas and bio-derived energy products (e.g., ethanol, biodiesel), compacting and baling, other.

  6. Bio-energy – Biomass conversion to transportation fuel

    Include conventional bio-fuels, cellulosic-derived alcohols, biomass gas-to-liquids, other energy-related products and by-products.

  7. Bio-energy – Biomass conversion to heat and electricity

    Include bio-based heat, electricity and combined heat and power (CHP), exclude multi-firing with fossil fuels.

  8. Other bio-energy

    Include recycling and the use of municipal, industrial and agricultural waste as energy not covered elsewhere.

  9. Small hydro – (less than 10 MW)

    Include plants with capacity below 10 MW.

  10. Large hydro – (greater than or equal to 10 MW)

    Include plants with capacity of 10 MW and above.

  11. Other renewable energy

    Include hot dry rock, hydro-thermal, geothermal heat applications (including agriculture), tidal power, wave energy, ocean current power, ocean thermal power, other.

Nuclear fission and fusion

Materials exploration, mining and preparation, tailings management, nuclear reactors, other fission, fusion.

  1. Nuclear materials exploration, mining and preparation, tailings management

    Include development of advanced exploration methods (geophysical, geochemical) for prospecting, ore surface and in-situ production, uranium and thorium extraction and conversion, enrichment, handling of tailings and remediation.

  2. Nuclear reactors

    Include nuclear reactors of all types and related system components.

  3. Other fission

    Include nuclear safety, environmental protection (emission reduction or avoidance), radiation protection and decommissioning of power plants and related nuclear fuel cycle installations, nuclear waste treatment, disposal and storage, fissile material recycling, fissile materials control, transport of radioactive materials.

  4. Fusion

    Include all types (e.g., magnetic confinement, laser applications).

Electric Power

Generation in utility sector, combined heat and power in industry and in buildings, electricity transmission, distribution and storage of electricity.

  1. Electric power generation in utility sector

    Include conventional and non-conventional technology (e.g., pulverised coal, fluidised bed, gasification-combined cycle, supercritical), re-powering, retrofitting, life extensions and upgrading of power plants, generators and components, super-conductivity, magneto hydrodynamic, dry cooling towers, co-firing (e.g., with biomass), air and thermal pollution reduction or avoidance, flue gas cleanup (excluding CO2 removal), CHP (combined heat and power) not covered elsewhere.

  2. Electric power - combined heat and power in industry, buildings

    Include industrial applications, small scale applications for buildings.

  3. Electricity transmission, distribution and storage

    Include solid state power electronics, load management and control systems, network problems, super-conducting cables, AC and DC high voltage cables, HVDC transmission, other transmission and distribution related to integrating distributed and intermittent generating sources into networks, all storage (e.g., batteries, hydro reservoirs, fly wheels), other.

Hydrogen and fuel cells

Hydrogen production for process applications, hydrogen production for transportation applications, hydrogen transport and storage, other hydrogen, fuel cells, both stationary and mobile.

  1. Hydrogen production for process applications
  2. Hydrogen production for transportation applications
  3. Hydrogen transport and storage
  4. Other hydrogen

    Include end uses (e.g., combustion), other infrastructure and systems R&D (refuelling stations).

  5. Stationary fuel cells

    Include electricity generation, other stationary end-use.

  6. Mobile fuel cells

    Include portable applications.

Energy efficiency

Industry, residential and commercial, transportation, other energy efficiency.

  1. Energy efficiency applications for industry

    Include reduction of energy consumption through improved use of energy and/or reduction or avoidance of air and other emissions related to the use of energy in industrial systems and processes (excluding bio-energy-related) through the development of new techniques, new processes and new equipment, other.

  2. Energy efficiency for residential, institutional and commercial sectors

    Include space heating and cooling, ventilation and lighting control systems other than solar technologies, low energy housing design and performance other than solar technologies, new insulation and building materials, thermal performance of buildings, domestic appliances, other.

  3. Energy efficiency for transportation

    Includes analysis and optimisation of energy consumption in the transport sector, efficiency improvements in light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, non-road vehicles, public transport systems, engine-fuel optimisation, use of alternative fuels (liquid and gaseous, other than hydrogen), fuel additives, diesel engines, Stirling motors, electric cars, hybrid cars, air emission reduction, other.

  4. Other energy efficiency

    Include waste heat utilisation (heat maps, process integration, total energy systems, low temperature thermodynamic cycles), district heating, heat pump development, reduction of energy consumption in the agricultural sector.

Other energy-related technologies

Carbon capture, transportation and storage for fossil fuel production and processing, electric power generation, industry in end-use sector, energy systems analysis, all other energy-related technologies.

  1. Carbon capture, transport and storage related to fossil fuel production and processing
  2. Carbon capture, transport and storage related to electric power production
  3. Carbon capture, transport and storage related to industry in end-use sector

    Include industry in the end-use sector, such as steel production, manufacturing, etc. (exclude fossil fuel production and processing and electric power production).

  4. Energy system analysis

    Include system analysis related to energy R&D not covered elsewhere, sociological, economical and environmental impact of energy which are not specifically related to one technology area listed in the sections above.

  5. All other energy technologies

    Include energy technology information dissemination, studies not related to a specific technology area listed above.

Environmental and clean technology products in 2021 (Q76 - Q77)

Air pollution management

Activities aimed at reducing the emissions of pollutants (including greenhouse gases) to the atmosphere. Include pollution abatement and control (e.g., end-of-pipe processes) and pollution prevention (e.g., integrated processes), as well as related measurement, control, laboratories and the like.

Solid waste management

Activities related to the collection, treatment, storage, disposal, and recycling of all domestic, industrial, non-hazardous and hazardous waste (including low-level radioactive waste). Include monitoring activities. Exclude radioactive waste and mine tailings handling and treatment (to be reported under Protection against radiation and Wastewater management, respectively).

Wastewater management

Activities aimed at pollution reduction or prevention through the abatement of pollutants or the reduction of the release of wastewater. Include measures aimed at reducing pollutants before discharge, reducing the release of wastewater, septic tanks, treatment of cooling water, handling and treatment of mine tailings, etc.

Protection and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water

Activities aimed at the prevention of pollution infiltration: remediation or cleaning up of soils and water bodies; protection of soil from erosion, salinization and physical degradation; monitoring, control, laboratories and the like. Exclude management of wastewater released to surface waters, municipal sewer systems or soil, or injected underground (to be reported under Wastewater management) and protection of biodiversity and habitat (to be reported under Protection of biodiversity and habitat).

Protection of biodiversity and habitat

Activities related to protecting wildlife and habitat from the effects of economic activity, and to restoring wildlife or habitat that has been adversely affected by such activity. Include related environmental measurements, monitoring, control, laboratories and the like.

Noise and vibration abatement

Activities aimed at controlling or reducing industrial and transport noise and vibration for the sole purpose of protecting the environment. Include preventive in-process modifications at the source, construction of anti-noise/vibration facilities, measurement, control, laboratories and the like.

Protection against radiation

Activities aimed at preventing, reducing, or eliminating the negative consequences of radiation on the environment. This includes all handling, transportation, and treatment of radioactive waste (i.e. waste that requires shielding during normal handling and transportation due to high radionuclide content), the protection of ambient media, measurement, control, laboratories and the like, as well as any other activities related to the containment of radioactive waste. Exclude activities and measures related to low-level radioactive waste (to be reported under Solid waste management), the prevention of technological hazards (e.g., external safety of nuclear power plants), and measures taken to protect workers.

Heat or energy savings and management

Activities aimed at reducing the intake of energy through in-process modifications (such as adjustment of production processes or heat and electricity co-generation), as well as reducing heat and energy losses. This includes insulation activities, energy recovery, measurement, control, laboratories and the like.

Renewable energy

Energy obtained from resources that naturally replenish or renew within a human lifespan (i.e. the resource is a sustainable source of energy). This includes wind, solar, aero-thermal, geothermal, hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases.

Income – 2021 Census promotional material

Help spread the word about 2021 Census data on income in Canada. These data were released on July 13, 2022.

Quick facts

  • The median household after-tax income in Canada was $73,000 in 2020.
  • The proportion of Canadians receiving employment income fell in most provinces and territories. Some provinces and territories reported higher median employment income in 2020 as lower-earning jobs disappeared.
  • Household after-tax income growth accelerated from 2015 to 2020, particularly among families with children, driven by increases in government transfers.
  • From 2015 to 2020, income inequality fell in all provinces and territories, with Alberta recording the largest decline.
  • The low-income rate fell in 2020, especially for families with children, but less for seniors and people living alone.

Resources

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  • Make your own posts with downloadable images and text.

Post 1

Post 1 image

Alt text / description - Post 1 image

The title of the infographic is "Income inequality falls in all provinces and territories, remains highest in Nunavut"

This is a combination bar chart and line graph.

The vertical axis to the left shows the Gini index from 0.200 to 0.500, by increments 0.1.

The vertical axis to the right shows 2020 constant dollars from 20,000 to 140,000 , by increments of 20,000.

The horizontal axis shows all the provinces and territories in Canada, including a bar showing Canada's average.

The first set of bars represents the Gini index in 2015, with Nunavut at 0.379, Ontario at 0.344, Alberta at 0.371, British Columbia at 0.343, Canada at 0.342, Saskatchewan at 0.331, Newfoundland and Labrador at 0.323, Manitoba at 0.328, Northwest Territories at 0.332, Nova Scotia at 0.314, Quebec at 0.307, Yukon at 0.302, New Brunswick at 0.298, and Prince Edward Island at 0.294.

The second set of bars represents the Gini index in 2020, with Nunavut at 0.331, Ontario at 0.308, Alberta at 0.307, British Columbia at 0.306, Canada at 0.302, Saskatchewan at 0.293, Newfoundland and Labrador at 0.29, Manitoba at 0.29, Northwest Territories at 0.287, Nova Scotia at 0.282, Quebec at 0.28, Yukon at 0.275, New Brunswick at 0.272, and Prince Edward Island at 0.271.

The line represents household after-tax median income in 2020 ($). The points show Nunavut with $104,000, Ontario with $79,500, Alberta with $83,000, British Columbia with $76,000, Canada with $73,000, Saskatchewan with $73,000, Newfoundland and Labrador with $63,200, Manitoba with $69,000, Northwest Territories with $109,000, Nova Scotia with $62,400, Quebec with $63,200, Yukon with $88,000, New Brunswick with $62,000, and Prince Edward Island with $64,000.

Source(s): Census of Population, 2016 and 2021 (3901).

Did you know that income inequality fell from 2015 to 2020 in all provinces and territories? Learn more about newly released income data from the #2021Census: https://bit.ly/3nRBN0j

Post 2

Post 2 image

Alt text / description - Post 2 image

The title of the map is "Median household after-tax income in Canada, 2015 and 2020"

This is a map of Canada by province and territory showing the median household after-tax income in 2020 and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020.

The map also highlights provinces and territories where the median household after-tax income in 2020 was below the national average, and where the median household after-tax income in 2020 was above the national average.

The median household after-tax income in 2020 was below the national average in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It was above the national average in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

In Canada, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $73,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 9.8%.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $63,2000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was -1.3%.

In Prince Edward Island, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $64,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 10.3%.

In Nova Scotia, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $62,400, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 8.3%.

In New Brunswick, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $62,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 9.2%.

In Quebec, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $63,200, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 12.1%.

In Ontario, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $79,500, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 12.8%.

In Manitoba, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $69,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 7.8%.

In Saskatchewan, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $73,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 2.8%.

In Alberta, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $83,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was -4.6%.

In British Columbia, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $76,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 14.3%.

In Yukon, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $88,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 10.0%.

In the Northwest Territories, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $109,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 0.9%.

In Nunavut, the median household after-tax income in 2020 was $104,000, and the change in the median household after-tax income between 2015 and 2020 was 11.8%.

Note(s): Data are adjusted for inflation and expressed in 2020 constant dollars.

Source(s): Census of Population, 2016 and 2021 (3901).

The median household after-tax income in Canada was $73,000 in 2020. Find out the median income for your region in the newly released #2021Census data: https://bit.ly/3z7pUd7

Post 3

A person holding two Canadian twenty dollar bills

Share the news on Instagram. Create your own Instagram story using this downloadable image. Don't forget to add census stickers by searching "2021 Census" in the stickers search bar.

Web images

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A pile of Canadian coins

Terms of use

See the Census engagement toolkits—Terms of use for information on the approved use of official wordmarks, identifiers and content.

Date modified:

In July 2022, the following questions measuring the Labour Market and Socio-economic Indicators were added to the Labour Force Survey as a supplement.

The purpose of this survey is to identify changing dynamics within the Canadian labour market, and measure important socio-economic indicators by gathering data on topics such as type of employment, quality of employment, support payments and unmet health care needs.

Question wording within the collection application is controlled dynamically based on responses provided throughout the survey.

Labour Market and Socio-economic Indicators

ENTRY_Q01 / EQ 1 - From the following list, please select the household member that will be completing this questionnaire on behalf of the entire household.

LMI_Q01 / EQ 2 - What forms of payment (do/does) (respondent's name/this person/you) receive in (his/her/their/your) main job or business?

LMI_Q02 / EQ 3 - What is the main form of payment in (his/her/their/your) main job or business?

LMI_Q03 / EQ 4 - Over the last 12 months, was at least 50% of (respondent name's/this person's/your) main business activity reliant on:

LMI_Q04 / EQ 5 - Which of these relationships is most critical for (respondent name's/this person's/your) main business?

LMI_Q05 / EQ 6 - Does this (client/supplier/website or app/other company or person/agency, broker or other type of intermediary):

LMI_Q06 / EQ 7 - What would happen if (respondent name's/this person's/your) relationship with this (client/supplier/website or app/other company or person/agency, broker or other type of intermediary) ended?

LMI_Q07 / EQ 8 – When did (respondent name/this person/you) been working with this (client/supplier/website or app/other company or person/agency, broker or other type of intermediary)?

LMI_Q08 / EQ 9 - As part of (his/her/their/your) main business, could (respondent name/this person/you) hire paid help if (he/she/this person/you) wanted to delegate some tasks?

LMI_Q09 / EQ 10 - How many clients did (respondent's name/this person/you) have over the last 12 months in (his/her/their/your) main business?

LMI_Q10 / EQ 11 - Does (respondent name's/this person's/your) main business operate…?

LMI_Q11 / EQ 12 - In (his/her/their/your) main job, (do/does) (respondent's name/this person/you) have a written agreement or an oral agreement with (his/her/their/your) employer?

LMI_Q12 / EQ 13 - In (respondent name's/this person's/your) main job, does (his/her/their/your) employer contribute to Employment Insurance (EI) on (respondent name's/this person's/your) behalf?

LMI_Q13 / EQ 14 - Is (respondent name's/this person's/your) main job permanent?

LMI_Q14 / EQ 15 - In what way is (respondent name's/this person's/your) main job not permanent?

LMI_Q15 / EQ 16 - In (his/her/their/your) main job, (are/is) (respondent name/this person/you) paid by a private employment or placement agency that is different from the company (he/she/this person/you) work(s) for?

LMI_Q16 / EQ 17 - What is the total duration of (respondent name's/this person's/your) contract or agreement in (his/her/their/your) main job?

LMI_Q17 / EQ 18 – In (respondent name's/this person's/your) main job, (is/are) (he/she/they/you) guaranteed a minimum number of work hours per pay period?

LMI_Q18 / EQ 19 – (Do/Does) (Respondent name/this person/you) want a permanent job at this time?

LMI_Q19 / EQ 20 - What is the main reason why (respondent's name/this person/you) (do/does) not want a permanent job?

SCC1_Q05 / EQ 21 - In the last 12 months, did (respondent's name/you) receive support payments from a former spouse or partner?

SCC1_Q10 / EQ 22 - What is your best estimate of the amount of support payments (he/she/this person/you) received in the last 12 months?

SCC2_Q05 / EQ 23 - In the last 12 months, did (respondent's name/you) make support payments to a former spouse or partner?

SCC2_Q10 / EQ 24 - What is your best estimate of the total amount (he/she/this person/you) paid in support payments in the last 12 months?

SCC3_Q05 / EQ 25 - In the last 12 months, did (respondent's name/you) pay for child care, so that (he/she/they/you) could work at a paid job?

SCC3_Q10 / EQ 26 - What is your best estimate, of the total amount (he/she/this person/you) paid for child care in the last 12 months?

DSQ_Q01 / EQ 27 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have any difficulty seeing?

DSQ_Q02 / EQ 28 - (Do/Does) (he/she/this person/you) wear glasses or contact lenses to improve (respondent name's/this person's/your) vision?

DSQ_Q03 / EQ 29 - (Which/With (respondent name's/this person's/your) glasses or contact lenses, which) of the following best describes (respondent's name/your) ability to see?

DSQ_Q04 / EQ 30 - How often does this (difficulty seeing/seeing condition) limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q05 / EQ 31 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have any difficulty hearing?

DSQ_Q06 / EQ 32 - (Do/Does) (he/she/this person/you) use a hearing aid or cochlear implant?

DSQ_Q07 / EQ 33 - (Which/With) (respondent name's/this person's/your) hearing aid or cochlear implant, which) of the following best describes (respondent's name/your) ability to hear?

DSQ_Q08 / EQ 34 - How often does this (difficulty hearing/hearing condition) limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q09 / EQ 35 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have any difficulty walking, using stairs, using (his/her/their/your) hands or fingers or doing other physical activities?

DSQ_Q10 / EQ 36 - How much difficulty (do/does) (he/she/this person/you) have walking on a flat surface for 15 minutes without resting?

DSQ_Q11 / EQ 37 - How much difficulty (do/does) (he/she/this person/you) have walking up or down a flight of stairs, about 12 steps without resting?

DSQ_Q12 / EQ 38 - How often (does this difficulty walking/does this difficulty using stairs/do these difficulties) limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q13 / EQ 39 - How much difficulty (do/does) (respondent's name/you) have bending down and picking up an object from the floor?

DSQ_Q14 / EQ 40 - How much difficulty (do/does) (he/she/this person/you) have reaching in any direction, for example, above (his/her/their/your) head?

DSQ_Q15 / EQ 41 - How often (does this difficulty bending down and picking up an object/does this difficulty reaching/do these difficulties) limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q16 / EQ 42 - How much difficulty (do/does) (respondent's name/you) have using (his/her/their/your) fingers to grasp small objects like a pencil or scissors?

DSQ_Q17 / EQ 43 - How often does this difficulty using (his/her/their/your) fingers limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q18 / EQ 44 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have pain that is always present?

DSQ_Q19 / EQ 45 - (Do/Does) (he/she/this person/you) ( /also) have periods of pain that reoccur from time to time?

DSQ_Q20 / EQ 46 - How often does this pain limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q21 / EQ 47 - When (respondent's name/you) (are/is) experiencing this pain, how much difficulty (do/does) (he/she/they/you) have with (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q22 / EQ 48 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have any difficulty learning, remembering or concentrating?

DSQ_Q23 / EQ 49 - Do you think (respondent's name/you) (has/have) a condition that makes it difficult in general for (him/her/them/you) to learn? This may include learning disabilities such as dyslexia, hyperactivity, attention problems, etc.

DSQ_Q24 / EQ 50 - Has a teacher, doctor or other health care professional ever said that (respondent's name/you) had a learning disability?

DSQ_Q25 / EQ 51 - How often are (his/her/their/your) daily activities limited by this condition?

DSQ_Q26 / EQ 52 - How much difficulty (do/does) (respondent's name/you) have with (his/her/their/your) daily activities because of this condition?

DSQ_Q27 / EQ 53 - Has a doctor, psychologist or other health care professional ever said that (respondent's name/you) had a developmental disability or disorder? This may include Down syndrome, autism, Asperger syndrome, mental impairment due to lack of oxygen at birth, etc.

DSQ_Q28 / EQ 54 - How often are (respondent's name/your) daily activities limited by this condition?

DSQ_Q29 / EQ 55 - How much difficulty (do/does) (respondent's name/you) have with (his/her/their/your) daily activities because of this condition?

DSQ_Q30 / EQ 56 - (Do/Does) (he/she/this person/you) have any ongoing memory problems or periods of confusion?

DSQ_Q31 / EQ 57 - How often are (his/her/their/your) daily activities limited by this problem?

DSQ_Q32 / EQ 58 - How much difficulty (do/does) (respondent's name/you) have with (his/her/their/your) daily activities because of this problem?

DSQ_Q33 / EQ 59 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have any emotional, psychological or mental health conditions?

DSQ_Q34 / EQ 60 - How often are (his/her/their/your) daily activities limited by this condition?

DSQ_Q35 / EQ 61 - When (respondent's name/you) (are/is) experiencing this condition, how much difficulty (do/does) (he/she/they/you) have with (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q36 / EQ 62 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have any other health problem or long-term condition that has lasted or is expected to last for six months or more?

DSQ_Q37 / EQ 63 - How often does this health problem or long-term condition limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q38 / EQ 64 - (Do/Does) (respondent's name/you) have pain that is always present?

DSQ_Q39 / EQ 65 - (Do/Does) (he/she/this person/you) ( /also) have periods of pain that reoccur from time to time?

DSQ_Q40 / EQ 66 - How often does this pain limit (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

DSQ_Q41 / EQ 67 - When (respondent's name/you) (are/is) experiencing this pain, how much difficulty (do/does) (he/she/they/you) have with (his/her/their/your) daily activities?

UNC_Q005 / EQ 68 - During the past 12 months, was there ever a time when (respondent's name/you) felt that (he/she/they/you) needed health care, other than homecare services, but (he/she/they/you) did not receive it?

UNC_Q010 / EQ 69 - Thinking of the most recent time (respondent's name/you) felt this way, why didn't (he/she/they/you) get care?

UNC_Q015 / EQ 70 - Again, thinking of the most recent time, what was the type of care that was needed?

UNC_Q020 / EQ 71 - Did (he/she/this person/you) actively try to obtain the health care that was needed?

UNC_Q025 / EQ 72 - Where did (he/she/this person/you) try to get the service (he/she/they/you) (was/were) seeking?

Supplement to Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment related to the Indigenous Peoples Survey 2022

Date: April 2022

Program manager: Director, Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships

Director General, Social Data Insights, Integration, and Innovation

Reference to Personal Information Bank (PIB):

Personal information collected through the Indigenous Peoples Survey is described in Statistics Canada's "Special Surveys" Personal Information Bank. The Personal Information Bank refers to information collected through Statistics Canada's ad hoc surveys, which are not part of the regular survey taking activities of the Agency. They cover a variety of socio-economic topics including health, housing, labour market, education and literacy, as well as demographic data.

The "Special Surveys" Personal Information Bank (Bank number: StatCan PPU 026) is published on the Statistics Canada website under the latest Information about Programs and Information Holdings chapter.

Description of statistical activity:

Statistics Canada, under the authority of the Statistics ActFootnote 1, conducts the Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) every 5 years on behalf of Indigenous Services Canada, Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada. This voluntary targeted survey is a national survey of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. Each cycle of the IPS focusses on a high-priority theme based on new and emerging data priorities for Indigenous peoples, in addition to collecting a consistent set of core variables that can be tracked over time. The 2022 IPS will focus on Indigenous children and families while continuing to provide other essential socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural information, as well as a robust health module.

The survey supports Indigenous Services Canada's mandate ''to support and empower Indigenous peoples'' and aims to provide current and relevant data to inform policy and programming activities in education, employment and health. It is a valuable source of information for Indigenous organizations, communities, service providers, researchers, and governments to improve the well-being of Indigenous peoples.

Also, Employment and Social Development Canada uses information from the IPS to undertake the Nunavut Inuit Labour Force Analysis which provides a detailed analysis of the labour force of the Nunavut Settlement Area to determine the availability, interest and the level of preparedness of Inuit for government employment in accordance with Article 23.3.1 of the Nunavut Agreement. According to Article 23.3.2, the purpose of the analysis is "to assess the existing skill level and degree of formal qualification among the Inuit labour force and to assist in formulating Inuit employment plans and pre-employment training." Article 23 reflects the aspirational objective of increasing Inuit participation in government to a representative level.

Indigenous peoples invited to participate in the 2022 IPS are selected from those who reported having an Indigenous identity or having Indigenous ancestry on the 2021 Census long-form questionnaire. Consistent with the Census, the IPS only covers persons living in private dwellings in Canada. It also excludes individuals living on reserve and specific First Nations communities in Yukon and Northwest Territories, who are instead included in surveys conducted by the First Nations Information Governance Centre.

The survey includes questions on access to services, child care, education and general health. Some questions included in the 2022 survey may be deemed sensitive, particularly for the 15 to 17 year age group, including gender identity, sexual orientation, family history, family separation, victimization, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, alcohol consumption and drug use, mental health, suicide, victimization, discrimination, pregnancy and childbirth, basic needs, food security, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey content was developed in collaboration with the sponsoring departments and in consultation with National Indigenous Organizations (NIOs) and other Indigenous organizations.

The Nunavut Inuit Supplement questions were developed in partnership with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the Government of Nunavut (GN), Pilimmaksaivik, and Employment and Social Development Canada. The questions were designed to assess the availability, interest and preparedness of Inuit for government employment in Nunavut, and to eventually increase their representation in government.

Statistics Canada will publish aggregate results in the Daily (the Agency's official release bulletin) summarizing the survey findings along with data tables. These data will be fully anonymized and non-confidential, without any direct personal identifiers, which prevents the possibility of identifying individuals. Indigenous Services Canada, Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada will access the data file, with all personal identifiers removed, in the Research Data CentresFootnote 2 and will only be permitted to release aggregate results, which are fully anonymized and non-confidential.

Reason for supplement:

While the Generic Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) addresses most of the privacy and security risks related to statistical activities conducted by Statistics Canada, a supplement was developed for the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey due to its sensitive content, and in the context of heightened awareness resulting from Truth and Reconciliation. As is the case with all PIAs, Statistics Canada's privacy framework ensures that elements of privacy protection and privacy controls are documented and applied.

Necessity and Proportionality

The collection of personal information for the Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) can be justified against Statistics Canada's Necessity and Proportionality Framework:

  1. Necessity:
    Statistics Canada's Surveys on Indigenous Peoples program is a national, multi-year, multi-stakeholder program that provides critical data and research for developing effective policies and monitoring progress. The IPS provides information on Indigenous populations that is not available from other data sources. The survey is conducted on a 5-year collection cycle with fixed core content that allows for monitoring of trends, along with rotating thematic content which helps address new and emerging data priorities for Indigenous peoples.
    The information produced through the IPS is used to improve access to high quality services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis, such as Early Childhood Development programs and to increase representation of Inuit employed in government in Nunavut. The survey is run as a cost-recovery project for Indigenous Services Canada and supports their mandate "to support and empower Indigenous peoples".
    The 2022 IPS will focus on Indigenous children and families while continuing to provide other essential socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural information, as well as a robust health module. The 2022 survey theme and content was developed in collaboration with the survey sponsors, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and in consultation with national indigenous organizations including:
    • Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP)
    • Assembly of First Nations (AFN)
    • Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)
    • Métis National Council (MNC)
    • Pauktuutit
    • Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC)
    • National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC)
    These consultations with Indigenous organizations highlighted the need for the IPS to collect information on sensitive, but important issues for Indigenous peoples in Canada, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, residential school attendance and experienced racism. This information could help with further acknowledgment of these issues and with the path to reconciliation.
    The survey data file, with all personal identifiers removed, will be made available to researchers in the Research Data Centres (RDC)Footnote 3 upon approval of requests to access the data for statistical researchFootnote 4. Statistics Canada's directives and policies ensure the confidentiality of any data released from the RDC. Only aggregate results, which are fully anonymized and non-confidential, without direct personal identifiers, which precludes the possibility of re-identifying individuals, can be released from the RDC. Individual responses will be grouped with those of others when reporting results and results for very small groups will not be published or shared with government departments or agencies. This will also reduce any potential impact on vulnerable populations or subsets of populations, as the grouping of results will protect the confidentiality of individual responses.
    Participants in the survey will be informed that the survey data will be linked to 2021 Census data to provide additional contextual information, and to help reduce respondent burden. Statistics Canada's microdata linkage and related statistical activities were assessed in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment.Footnote 5 All data linkage activities are subject to established governance Footnote 6, and are assessed against the privacy principles of necessity and proportionalityFootnote 7. All approved linkages are published on Statistics Canada's websiteFootnote 8.
  2. Effectiveness - Working assumptions:
    The 2022 IPS will produce estimates for First Nations, Inuit and Métis at the provincial and territorial level to help advance programs and policies. The survey is conducted on a 5-year collection cycle with fixed core content that allows for monitoring of trends along with rotating thematic content which helps to address new and emerging data priorities for Indigenous peoples.
    The 2022 IPS Nunavut Inuit Supplement is designed to support the federal government's obligation under Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement to conduct an ongoing Nunavut Inuit Labour Force Analysis (NILFA). It includes a large supplemental sample designed to produce community-level estimates for Inuit aged 15+ enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement.
    The supplemental questions were jointly developed by the NILFA Technical Working Group, including members of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the Government of Nunavut and the Government of Canada.
  3. Proportionality:
    The population for this survey consists of anyone who identified as Indigenous or indicated Indigenous ancestry on the 2021 Census. In order to achieve the desired level of data quality, a minimum sample size was computed. Based on a projected response rate, the sample size for the IPS is approximately 68,000 plus an additional required sample of 5850 specific to the Nunavut Inuit Supplement. To ensure that Indigenous priorities were reflected in the survey content and that it was culturally sensitive and relevant, National Indigenous Organizations (NIOs) were engaged and consulted with the support of the survey sponsors (ISC and ESDC). Additionally, the NIOs and other Indigenous organizations/groups completed a Ranking Questionnaire which allowed them to prioritize the themes and questions that they considered most important and that would be retained. Every effort was made to ensure that the feedback received from these groups was addressed and incorporated where possible. Themes or questions that raised major concerns were revised accordingly. In regards to the sensitive nature of some of the questionnaire modules, NIOs indicated that while these were difficult for respondents to answer, their inclusion in the questionnaire was deemed necessary. Questions were retained based on the data needs of the sponsoring departments and on those expressed by the NIOs that were consulted.
  4. Alternatives:
    The IPS is designed to allow for distinctions-based analysis of Indigenous Peoples at the national, provincial and territorial levels. While other surveys include Indigenous populations in their sample, given the relatively small population of First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Canada, those surveys can often only produce pan-Indigenous estimates at the national level. The IPS, which collects information specifically and directly from Indigenous populations is required to gather data on issues that are relevant to First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

Mitigation factors:

Some questions contained in the IPS are considered sensitive as they relate to family history and family separation, smoking, drug use, alcohol consumption, suicide, mental health, discrimination, victimization, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, basic needs and food security. The overall risk of harm to the survey respondents has been deemed manageable with existing Statistics Canada safeguards that are described in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment, as well as with the following measures:

  • Helpline resources from across Canada will be available to respondents in the electronic questionnaire help button.
  • Escape buttons will allow respondents to skip the more sensitive victimization module of the questionnaire.
  • Interviewers will be trained on and have access to information on mental health supports to provide to respondents who share information or show signs of distress triggered by sensitive questions.
  • For respondents 14 years of age and under, the survey is completed by the adult most knowledgeable about that child. For youth 15 to 17, although parental permission is not required, interviewers will be instructed not to complete the survey with this age group if the parent refuses.
  • As for all surveys, respondents will be informed through the invitation letter, brochure, promotional and advertising materials, along with the questionnaire and on Statistics Canada's website, that participation is voluntary and of the nature of the survey to inform their decision to participate. For the Nunavut Inuit Supplement target population, some of this information is made available in the four official languages of Nunavut (Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, English and French), as required by the Nunavut Agreement.

Conclusion

This assessment concludes that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards and mitigation factors listed above, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Formal approval

This Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment has been reviewed and recommended for approval by Statistics Canada's Chief Privacy Officer, Director General for Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science, and Assistant Chief Statistician for Social, Health and Labour Statistics.

The Chief Statistician of Canada has the authority for section 10 of the Privacy Act for Statistics Canada, and is responsible for the Agency's operations, including the program area mentioned in this Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment.

This Privacy Impact Assessment has been approved by the Chief Statistician of Canada.

Appendix 1 – Promotional Material

Brochure

Indigenous Peoples Survey Brochure
Description: Indigenous Peoples Survey Brochure

What is the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey?

The Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) is a national survey conducted with First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. The 2022 IPS represents the sixth cycle of the survey and focuses on social and economic outcomes related to education, employment, health and access to services. The survey will also collect important information about language, handcrafting, housing and mobility.

Themes List

  • Child care and services
  • Indigenous languages and cultural activities
  • Mental and physical health
  • Education
  • Skills, training and relevant experience
  • Interest in government employment
Self-rated ability to understand or speak an Indigenous language among Indigenous people aged 15 and over
  First Nations (North American Indian) Métis Inuk (Inuit)
Atlantic provinces 24.1% 15.0% 53.1%
Quebec 29.5% 15.3% 90.7%
Ontario 39.8% 18.3% 34.1%
Prairie provinces 64.1% 32.2% 46.2%
British Columbia 44.7% 19.0% 22.5%
Territories 67.8% 48.1% 94.2%

Source: Statistics Canada, Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 2017; Table 41-10-0043-01.

Why should I participate?

The IPS aims to provide current and relevant data to help plan programs and policies in education, employment and health. The information can be used by Indigenous organizations, communities, service providers, researchers, and governments to improve the well-being of Indigenous peoples.

How was I selected?

Individuals were randomly chosen from anyone aged 1 or older who identified themselves as Indigenous or as having Indigenous ancestry in the 2021 Census of Population.

When will the survey take place?

The Indigenous Peoples Survey will take place between May and October 2022.

Will my information remain confidential?

The confidentiality of the data you provide is our number one priority, which is the reason every Statistics Canada employee takes an oath of secrecy. Information which could identify an individual is never released to anyone, not even other government departments. Statistics Canada will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only.

For more information

call 1-833-977-8287
(TTY: 1-866-753-7083)
or go to Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS)

Poster

Indigenous Peoples Survey Poster
Description: Indigenous Peoples Survey Poster

Have you received a letter in the mail from Statistics Canada inviting you to participate in the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey?

The Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS) is a national survey conducted with First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit.

Why should I participate?

The IPS aims to provide current and relevant data to help plan programs and policies in education, employment and health. The information can be used by Indigenous organizations, communities, service providers, researchers, and governments to improve the well-being of Indigenous peoples.

The survey will include questions about employment, education, health, language, and access and barriers to services.

When will the survey take place?

The Indigenous Peoples Survey will take place between May and October 2022.

How was I selected?

You or your child were chosen at random from anyone aged 1 or older who identified themselves as Indigenous or as having Indigenous ancestry in the 2021 Census of Population.

If you were selected, you will receive a letter in the mail.

Will my information remain confidential?

The confidentiality of the data you provide is our number one priority, which is the reason every Statistics Canada employee takes an oath of secrecy. Information which could identify an individual is never released to anyone, not even other government departments. Statistics Canada will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only.

For more information

call 1-833-977-8287
(TTY: 1-866-753-7083)
or go to Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS)

Statistics Canada to hold news conference to present 2021 Census data on families, military experience and income

Media advisory

July 8, 2022, OTTAWA, ON –

On July 13, 2022, Statistics Canada will release the third set of results from the 2021 Census. This release will include the portrait of Canada's families and households, the past and present Canadian military experience and the income profile of Canadians.

The release will be published in Statistics Canada's Daily at 8:30 a.m. eastern time on July 13, 2022. Information about subsequent releases throughout 2022 is available at 2021 Census dissemination planning - Release plans.

Statistics Canada officials will hold a news conference to present high-level national, provincial, and territorial findings for the third release from the 2021 Census. Officials will be available to answer questions from the media following their remarks.

On July 13 and the following days, Statistics Canada will also grant interviews regarding this 2021 Census data release. Members of the media are invited to submit their requests for interviews and/or custom tabulations ahead of the release date to the Media Hot Line.

Date

July 13, 2022

Time

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)

Location

The news conference will be held virtually.

Participation in the question and answer portion of this event is for accredited members of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery only. Media who are not members of the Press Gallery may contact pressres2@parl.gc.ca to request temporary access. A teleconference line is also available for media who wish to listen to the event:

Toll-free dial-in number (Canada/US): 1-866-206-0153
Local dial-in number: 613-954-9003
Participant passcode: 8843208#

Associated link

2021 Census of Population – Backgrounder for Media

Contact

Media Relations
Statistics Canada
statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

In July 2022, questions measuring the Labour Market Indicators were added to the Labour Force Survey as a supplement.

Question wording within the collection application is controlled dynamically based on responses provided throughout the survey.

Labour Market Indicators

ENTRY_Q01 / EQ1 - From the following list, please select the household member that will be completing this questionnaire on behalf of the entire household.

WFH_Q01 / EQ2 - At the present time, in which of the following locations (do/does) (Respondent’s name/this person/you) usually work as part of (his/her/their/your) main job or business?

WFH_Q02 / EQ3 - Last week, what proportion of (his/her/their/your) work hours did (Respondent name/this person/you) work at home as part of (his/her/their/your) main job or business?

JREL_Q01 / EQ4 - How closely is (Respondent's name's/this person's/your) main job or business related to (his/her/their/your) field of study?

JTRA_Q01 / EQ5 - (Was/Were) (Respondent’s name/this person/you) provided informal or on-the-job training from co-workers or supervisors for their main job?

JTRA_Q02 / EQ6 - Was this informal or on-the-job training useful for (respondent name's/this person's/your) main job?

ERET_Q01 / EQ7 - (Do/Does) (Respondent's name/this person/you) intend to work for (his/her/their/your) main employer after completion of (his/her/their/your) studies?

ERET_Q02 / EQ8 - What is the main reason (Respondent's name/this person/you) would work for (his/her/their/your) main employer again?

ERET_Q03 / EQ9 - What is the main reason (respondent's name/this person/you) would not work for (his/her/their/your) main employer again?

Backgrounder: 2021 Census of Population

Overview of the census

  • The census is conducted every five years.
  • The 2021 Census was Canada's 23rd national census.
  • The year 2021 marked the 355th anniversary of the first census.
  • The short-form questionnaire (2A): 75% of Canadian households received the short-form questionnaire, covering the following topics: age, sex at birth, gender, relationships of household members, marital status, language and Canadian military service.
  • The long-form questionnaire (2A-L): 25% of Canadian households received the long-form questionnaire, covering the above-mentioned topics, as well as activities of daily living, sociocultural information, mobility, education and labour market activity.

Participating in the census

  • As in previous years, the 2021 Census was mandatory. All residents of Canada were legally required to complete a census questionnaire, in accordance with the provisions of the Statistics Act.

Major releases from the 2021 Census

  • Beginning February 9, 2022, seven major "themed" releases highlighted from the 2021 Census of Population. These releases are published in The Daily, Statistics Canada's official release bulletin, and offer data, analytical and reference products.
  • On April 27, 2022, Statistics Canada released the second set of results from the 2021 Census. This release explored Canada's shifting demographic profile, and for the first time ever, included data about the gender diversity of our population. Additional questions on sex-at-birth and gender were added to the 2021 Census to allow more Canadians to better represented. Data about the various types of dwellings in Canada were also released.
  • The next release, on July 13, 2022, will paint the portrait of Canada's families and households and provide information about the past and present military experience and income profile of Canadians. There are many other stories to come:
    • August 27
      • Linguistic diversity and use of English and French in Canada
    • September 21
      • First Nations people, Métis and Inuit in Canada
      • Canada's housing portrait
    • October 26
      • Portrait of citizenship and immigration in Canada
      • Ethnocultural and religious composition of the population
      • Mobility and migration
    • The final release, on education, the labour force and instruction in the official minority language, will take place on November 30, 2022. After the seven major releases, there will be further releases of new analysis and products (dates to be determined).

    Why do we conduct the census?

    • The census paints a portrait of people in Canada and the places where they live.
    • The census provides high-quality information that is used by all levels of government, businesses, and various community and social services organizations.
    • Census data are used to administer government programs and plan daycare centres, schools, hospitals, housing, skills training for employment, public transportation and emergency services.
    • The census is also conducted to meet statutory requirements. The population counts from the census are used to adjust the population estimates, which—in turn—are used to determine representation in Parliament, calculate transfer payments between different levels of government and support various government programs across the country.
    • Census data are key during the pandemic since they are used for emergency response and preparedness purposes. Local-level census population, age, income and housing data are required by all levels of government to determine who is most vulnerable to the health and economic crisis underway. Furthermore, vaccine allocations have been conducted on a per capita basis, using census data.
    • Census data will help us better understand the impacts of the pandemic on different groups and communities, as well as their evolution since the last census in 2016. Moreover, data collected in the 2021 Census will inform many of the economic and health-related policy decisions that must be made by all levels of government in the coming months and years as the aftermath of the pandemic continues to affect Canadians.

    How did we conduct the census?

    • Statistics Canada adapted to the reality of the pandemic to conduct a safe census that enabled Canadians to tell their story and provide vital information about their country and communities.
    • Collection procedures for the census were redesigned to ensure respondents and census employees were safe by limiting the amount of contact needed to participate in this important exercise.
    • All households were encouraged to complete the questionnaire online to adhere to a contact-free approach of census data collection.
    • No census employees from Statistics Canada were permitted to visit or enter institutional collective dwellings (e.g., seniors' homes, long-term care facilities).

    Languages and alternate formats

    • The 2021 Census questions were available in 25 languages (13 Indigenous languages and 12 immigrant languages), in addition to English and French. The census questionnaire was available in only English and French, however, and had to be completed in either English or French.
    • Materials such as large-print questionnaires, and braille, video and audio versions of the questions were available upon request by contacting the Census Help Line.

    Content in the census

    • Statistics Canada undertook a rigorous consultation, testing, review and approval process to ensure that the questions in the 2021 Census reflect demands for key information.
    • The content proposed by Statistics Canada was submitted to Cabinet, and the questions asked in the 2021 Census were prescribed by an order in council, as is required by the Statistics Act.
    • The 2021 Census of Population short-form questionnaire (2A) asked up to 17 questions on topics such as age, sex at birth, gender, relationships of household members, marital status, language and Canadian military service.
    • The 2021 Census of Population long-form questionnaire (2A-L) contained the same questions as the short-form questionnaire, but also featured some new and modified questions on ethnic or cultural origins; religion; citizenship and immigration; First Nations people, Métis and Inuit; labour; and housing. Changes to questions are outlined in topic-specific fact sheets available on the Statistics Canada website.

    Response rates

    The national collection response rates for the Census of Population were as follows:

    The national collection response rates by Internet for the Census of Population were as follows:

    Please visit the agency website for a detailed breakdown (by geography and type) of the 2021 Census of Population collection response rates.

    Supplement to Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment related to the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

    Date: April 2022

    Program manager: Director, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics

    Director General, Census Subject Matter, Social Insights, Integration and Innovation

    Reference to Personal Information Bank (PIB)

    Personal information collected through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) is described in Statistics Canada's "Crime Statistics" Personal Information Bank (Bank number: StatCan PPU 029). The UCR collects personal information to produce statistical information relating to the nature and extent of crime in Canada and to describe the circumstances of criminal incidents, as well as the characteristics of victims and accused persons. Personal information is collected pursuant to the Statistics Act (Sections 3, 7, 13).

    The Crime Statistics PIB is published on the Statistics Canada website under the latest Information about Programs and Information Holdings chapter.

    Description of statistical activity

    Statistics Canada conducts the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) under the authority of the Statistics ActFootnote 1. The UCR collects data on criminal incidents that come to the attention of, and have been substantiated by, police. Information collected from police services includes personal information such as name, date of birth, gender, and characteristics of victims and accused persons involved in criminal incidents, as well as information relating to the nature and extent of the incidents.

    The purpose of the survey is to measure the incidence of crime in Canadian society and its characteristics. The information is used by federal and provincial policy makers as well as public and private researchers.

    More than 1,000 separate police services and detachments respond to the survey, comprising of over 190 different police forces. Starting in 2022, the Canadian Forces Military Police will become an active respondent to the UCR survey and will be required to provide the same information already provided by other police services.

    Information on the UCR is available on Statistics Canada's website Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR)

    Reason for supplement

    While the Generic Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) addresses the privacy and security risks related to statistical activities conducted by Statistics Canada including the UCR, due to the sensitivity of the information being collected and in the context of the current Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)-Department of National Defence (DND) Sexual Misconduct dossier, this supplement describes the measures in place to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the information, and informs Canadians that the Canadian Forces Military Police will now be an active respondent to the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) and will be reporting data on Criminal Code and Federal Statute incidents under their jurisdiction. As is the case with all PIAs, Statistics Canada's privacy framework ensures that elements of privacy protection and privacy controls are documented and applied.

    Necessity and Proportionality

    The collection of personal information for the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) by the Canadian Forces Military Police can be justified against Statistics Canada's Necessity and Proportionality Framework:

    1. Necessity:
      The general benefits of the UCR data for Canadians have been well defined in terms of:
      • providing a comprehensive picture of crime in Canada
      • supporting police services and other justice stakeholders in their resource planning and program development for the policing community
      • supporting decisions about the distribution of police resources, definitions of provincial standards and for comparisons with other departments and provinces or territories
      • providing information for policy and legislative development, evaluation of new legislative initiatives, and international comparisons, and
      • helping media, academics and researchers use these data to examine specific issues about crime.
      To date, the response rate in terms of police respondents complying with the UCR survey is virtually 100 percent, but some respondents are still missing to ensure that the survey is covering the total crime that come to the attention of police in Canada. Among those few respondents missing is the Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP). The CFMP is responsible to enforce laws and regulations on Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) establishments in Canada and abroad. They serve the entire CAF community, including Regular and Reserve Force members, civilian employees, cadets, and family members. Among the primary responsibilities of the CFMP are to investigate and report incidents involving military or criminal offenses and perform other policing duties, such as traffic control and traffic-accident investigations which are in scope of the UCR.
      To provide the most accurate picture of crime in Canada, it is important that all police services respond to the UCR. In addition, the CFMP has expressed its interest to be included in the UCR in order to be transparent regarding crimes on their military bases across the country. The Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS) has therefore been working with the CFMP in including them in the UCR. In compliance with Statistics Canada's Policy on Informing Users of Data Quality and MethodologyFootnote 2, users of the UCR will be informed of the addition of the CFMP as a respondent to the UCR and of the relevant data quality and methodology through the Agency's Integrated Metadata Base (IMDB) UCR web pageFootnote 3.
      The CFMP will be reporting the same information as the current UCR respondents, including personal information on victims and accused involved in criminal incidents in Canada. The survey data file, without direct identifiers other than postal code and date of birth, will be made available to researchers in the Research Data Centres (RDC)Footnote 4 upon approval of requests to access the data for statistical research. Statistics Canada's directives and policies on data publication will be followed to ensure the confidentiality of any data released from the RDCs. Only aggregate results, which are fully anonymized and non-confidential, without direct identifiers, which precludes the possibility of re-identifying individuals, can be released from the RDCs. Statistics Canada will retain this data as long as required for statistical purposes, in order to conduct analysis of long‐term impacts.
      Data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) can be linked to other data sets for both specialized data production activities such as the update of the Crime Severity Index (CSI), as well as for cost-recovery or other specialized projects that address specific justice-related research questions and/or data gaps. Statistics Canada's microdata linkage and related statistical activities were assessed in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment.Footnote 5 All data linkage activities are subject to established governanceFootnote 6, and are assessed against the privacy principles of necessity and proportionalityFootnote 7. All approved linkages are published on Statistics Canada's websiteFootnote 8.
    2. Effectiveness - Working assumptions:
      Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) is an administrative data source that extracts police service files from their Record Management Systems on a monthly basis. It is the only source of data that collects information on all criminal incidents reported by Canadian police services. It is Canada's primary source of information to monitor the nature and extent of police-reported crimes across the country. Accordingly, including the Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP) will allow for a more complete picture of crime in Canada.
      All Statistics Canada directives and policies for obtaining administrative data under the Statistics Act and dissemination of the data are followed, and information released does not disclose any information identifying victims or accused involved in a criminal incident reported by the police. Further, the CFMP is engaged in ongoing discussions with the CCJCSS to determine if additional vetting rules specific to their data are required to ensure the confidentiality of victims or accused.
      The data from the UCR survey is representative of crime in Canada and is disaggregated at the provincial and Census metropolitan Area (CMA)Footnote 9 geographical level and at the incident level. Information on victims and accused including age and gender, are grouped in order to ensure anonymity. More specifically, CCJCSS does not release any tables or cross-tabulations that may identify directly or indirectly a particular victim or suspect by the specifics of an offence. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.
      The CFMP, in collaboration with CCJCSS, has established that the CFMP data will be systematically disseminated at a higher level of geography where their individual military bases' data will be published together as one respondent and included in the Canada level rollup only (no province breakout for confidentiality reasons). In addition, there will be ongoing discussions between the CFMP and CCJCSS to establish if additional residual disclosure rules for their data will be required.
    3. Proportionality:
      Personal information such as name, date of birth, gender, and characteristics of victims and accused persons involved in criminal incidents, as well as information relating to the nature and extent of the incident is collected from more than 1,000 separate police services and detachments, comprising of over 190 different police forces which will now include the Canadian Forces Military Police. To provide the most accurate picture of crime in Canada, it is important that all police services respond to the UCR.
      The data collected through the UCR survey provide key information for crime analysis, resource planning and program development for the policing community.
      Municipal and provincial governments use the data to inform decisions about the distribution of police resources, to develop definitions of provincial standards, and for comparisons with other departments or jurisdictions. For the Federal Government, the UCR survey provides information for policy and legislative development, for the evaluation of new legislative initiatives, and for international comparisons.
      The UCR survey also provides information to the general public on the nature and extent of police-reported crime and crime trends in Canada. As well, media, academics and researchers use these data to examine specific issues about crime.
      All data extracted from police services administrative files are carefully considered to address specific data needs and gaps, and consultations with the Police and Information Statistics Committee (POLIS) from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police are conducted on an ongoing basis.
      Proportionality has also been considered based on ethics:
      Data sensitivity: The data collected from the CMPF could be of a sensitive nature due to the current CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct dossier. The risk of sensitive information being disclosed is minimal since their data will be processed according to Statistics Canada's and the UCR-specific current practices. In particular, personal identifier variables (e.g. name and date of birth of victims and accused) are suppressed from the data and accessible to only a limited number of employees on a need-to-know basis. They are never disclosed.
      Approved researchers accessing the UCR microdata files in the RDCs must apply well defined vetting rules in order to use the data for research purposes. It has additionally been agreed on that the CFMP, in collaboration with CCJCSS, could develop additional vetting rules that may be applied, if required, to their specific data and those rules will be consistent across military bases for which information will be collected.
    4. Alternatives:
      The Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP) is not currently responding to the UCR Survey, therefore incidents reported under the Canadian Criminal Code by this force are not accounted for in the Canadian crime statistics released yearly by Statistics Canada. Including the CFMP as an active respondent will address this data gap.

    Mitigation factors

    Some of the variables contained in the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) such as names, date of birth and gender are considered sensitive as they directly identify individuals coming into contact with the police in the context of a criminal incident. The overall risk of harm to the survey respondents has been deemed manageable with existing Statistics Canada safeguards that are described in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment, as well as with some additional measures implemented specifically for the UCR. Data from the Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP) could be perceived as of a higher sensitivity due to the CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct dossier. Additional safeguard measures will therefore be applied on those specific cases reported by the CFMP.

    Measures for all StatCan surveys

    The following describes some of the measures that apply to all surveys but that demonstrate safeguards of particular importance for the UCR.

    The Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) has collected aggregate police-reported data since 1962 and incident-based data on the characteristics of all criminal incidents, victims and accused persons since 1988. The ongoing success of the UCR incident-based survey is dependent on the cooperation and participation of the police services across Canada. Statistics Canada takes great care to respect the trust that respondent police services place in Statistics Canada to safeguard the information that they have supplied. The confidentiality provisions stipulated by Paragraph 17(1)(b) of the Statistics Act require that the characteristics of individual incidents, accused or victims not be disseminated to the public.Footnote 10

    In addition to legislative requirements outlined by the Statistics Act, the Government of Canada and Statistics Canada have established a number of policies around collecting and storing sensitive statistical information, such as data collected through the UCR; these include the Federal Policy on Government SecurityFootnote 11, and Statistics Canada's IT Security Policy and Policy on Privacy and Confidentiality.

    To ensure compliance with these security requirements, physical security measures are put in place whereby data, including that of the UCR, are stored in a secure location where access is controlled and limited only to authorized persons on a need-to-know basis. More specifically, access to the data is controlled by file permissions and these permissions are only granted in a way to permit the minimum access necessary to program service delivery. All Statistics Canada employees, including deemed employeesFootnote 12, involved in the production of statistics are aware of their obligation to protect confidentiality and of the legal penalties for wrongful disclosure.

    Furthermore, all direct identifiers (e.g. for the UCR, names, date of birth, and address of the victims or accused persons) are removed from the data files during UCR data processing steps and the files that contain these variables are stored in a separate secure area (server). Secure practices and processes are used in the production of statistics and access to any protected information is based strictly on the need-to-know principle and is limited to only those persons whose current work-related responsibilities require access to the information.

    Measures for the UCR

    The following describes some of the additional measures that apply to the UCR:

    Statistics Canada's Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS) also takes specific steps to preserve data confidentiality and where data users have access to microdata, for example, via Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres (RDCs), confidentiality vetting guidelines specific to the UCR survey have been developed in order to prevent the release of potentially sensitive information that pertains to the characteristics of a particular individual or incident.

    Generally speaking, these measures include the UCR data made available in the RDCs for statistical research and analysis, and the results (outputs) of this analysis that can exported out of the RDCs.

    UCR data available in RDCs

    • A review of all the UCR variables was conducted to determine which variables would be included for access in the RDCs and which would not. Variables were marked for exclusion for one of two main reasons:
      • Direct identifiers – The variables that identify specific individuals or incidents (e.g., name of victim, name of accused, FPS (Finger Print Information System) number, police report number (incident file number)). These variables are not available in the RDCs under any circumstances.
      • Data quality issues – The data received from police services that are of poor or unknown quality.
    • Consideration was also given to possible confidentiality risks that might be associated with the response categories for certain UCR variables, as these responses could potentially reveal sensitive information about the incident, the accused or the victim. For example, the precise time and date of particular incidents may be particularly revealing and as such are not releasable. When presenting data by these variables (e.g., cross-tabulating type of violation by time of incident), the researcher is required to collapse the time into 6-hour intervals. Therefore, where necessary, sensitive response categories are aggregated or collapsed into a more generic category to reduce any risk of disclosure.
    • Similarly, individual violation codes for criminal offences captured on the UCR were examined to discern if there were any potential confidentiality issues that might result from releasing information for particular violation codes. Sensitive violation codes such as those related to the sexual violation of children, are grouped into a single category as 'Other Sexual Violations', therefore aggregated or collapsed under a more generic code to reduce any risk of disclosure.
    • Finally, the retained variables were examined to identify any potentially sensitive variables (i.e., indirect identifiers or sensitive variables), that could, either alone or when appearing in conjunction with other variables, disclose confidential information. Once the potentially sensitive variables were identified, disclosure rules were then developed to manage the confidentiality concerns related to these variables.

    UCR research and analysis outputs that can leave the RDCs

    In order for statistical outputs resulting from analysis of the UCR data to receive approval for removal from the RDCs, the following confidentiality vetting rules must be satisfied.

    First and foremost, statistical outputs may not be removed from the RDC if they can lead to the possible identification of a particular victim, accused person or incident.

    For frequency tables (i.e., counts, rates, totals), a scoring method is used by the RDC analyst to determine the disclosure risk score for each table. The score is based on the nature and level of detail of the variables that make up that table, and increases as more sensitive variables are included. Variables that are potentially more sensitive (i.e., those associated with a higher risk of identification or revealing a characteristic that can be attributed to a single individual or incident) are given higher scores. The lowest score is a 0 and is awarded to variables associated with an extremely low risk of disclosure, whereas a score of 8 is given when the risk of disclosure is extremely high. Researchers will score their tables themselves. Then, after tallying the total disclosure risk score for a table, the researcher, in consultation with the RDC analyst, then compares the table score to the established threshold to determine whether or not it can be released.

    For the UCR, the threshold for disclosure risk scores is 7. Frequency tables with scores at or below the threshold may be released as is – regardless of the cell count. Tables with disclosure risk scores above the threshold will not be releasable. In cases where tables score above the threshold, researchers may want to consider removing one or more sensitive variables or try using an aggregated variable to lower the table's overall score.

    Alternately, with a few exceptions, researchers can choose to apply a controlled rounding process (rounding to base 5) to their tables. The RDC analyst will verify that the rounding program has been applied correctly.

    Measures for UCR CFMP data

    In collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS), it has been determined that the Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP) would like all of their bases' data published together as one respondent and included in the Canada level rollup only (no province breakout for confidentiality reasons). Additionally, measures such as rolling up certain offence types to avoid the release of disaggregated data that could potentially identify individuals and/or specific vetting rules related to the CFMP data may be developed by the CFMP and Statistics Canada, if required, in order to heighten confidentiality protection.

    Conclusion

    This assessment concludes that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards and additional mitigation factors listed above, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

    Formal approval

    This Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment has been reviewed and recommended for approval by Statistics Canada's Chief Privacy Officer, Director General for Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science, and Assistant Chief Statistician for Social, Health and Labour Statistics.

    The Chief Statistician of Canada has the authority for section 10 of the Privacy Act for Statistics Canada, and is responsible for the Agency's operations, including the program area mentioned in this Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment.

    This Privacy Impact Assessment has been approved by the Chief Statistician of Canada.

    Statistics Canada Client Experience Survey

    Consultative engagement objectives

    Beginning July 2022, Statistics Canada will launch on-going evaluation of its products and services by asking its clients about:

    • Satisfaction with the delivery of the product or service
    • Satisfaction with the quality of the product or service
    • What clients value in their experience with Statistics Canada

    Feedback will be used to help Statistics Canada further improve its product and service offerings.

    Consultative engagement methodology

    Statistics Canada is using its Client Relationship Management System (CRMS) to identify clients who have recently contacted Statistics Canada for a product or service and invite them to complete a short questionnaire.

    Results

    Results of the Statistics Canada Client Experience Survey will be published online annually, beginning April 2023.

    More information

    Individuals who wish to obtain more information should contact Statistics Canada by sending an email to infostats@statcan.gc.ca.

    Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of consultation participants. All personal information created, help or collected by the agency is kept strictly confidential; it is protected by the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada's privacy policies, please consult the Privacy notice.

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