Under the authority of the Statistics Act, Statistics Canada is hereby requesting the following information, which will be used solely for statistical and research purposes and will be protected in accordance with the provisions of the Statistics Act and any other applicable law. This is a mandatory request for data.
Canadian military experience
Canadian Armed Forces personnel file
What information is being requested?
Statistics Canada is requesting employment history and occupational data on a more frequent basis including additional information on those who have served or are currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, who were enrolled as of January 1, 1972 or after.
What personal information is included in this request?
This request includes expanded employment equity information, if available, to complement information already held by Statistics Canada dating back to 1972 which includes personal information such as the members name, sex, gender, date of birth, social insurance number, address and contact information which are required to perform data linkages, for statistical purposes only. Once the data are linked, the personal identifiers will be replaced by an anonymized person key.
What years of data will be requested?
Statistics Canada will request the information on a more frequent (annual) and ongoing basis.
From whom will the information be requested?
This information is being requested from the Department of National Defence.
Why is this information being requested?
Statistics Canada requires this information to create and publish accurate and up-to-date statistics on the number of Canadians who have previously served or are currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and to provide additional information on their sociodemographic and labour characteristics. These statistics will be used to help better serve this population by informing policies and programs administered by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Department of National Defence (DND), and other Veteran support organizations. Statistics Canada requests this information so that these policies and programs can be adjusted to meet the needs of Canadians.
Additionally, the information will be used to support the Military and Veteran Status file (MVSF) for validation activities related to the Census of Population and as a sample frame for Veteran and military personnel surveys.
Statistics Canada may also use the information for other statistical and research purposes.
Why were these organizations selected as data providers?
The Department of National Defense is responsible for collecting and maintaining up-to-date data on military personnel enrolled in the CAF.
When will this information be requested?
June 2026
What Statistics Canada programs will primarily use these data?
- Canadian Veteran Health Survey (CVHS)
- Census of Population
- Military and Veteran Status File
When was this request published?
June 16, 2026