The purpose of Definitions, data sources and methods is to provide information that will assist in the interpretation of Statistics Canada's published data. The information (also known as metadata) is provided to ensure an understanding of the basic concepts that define the data including variables and classifications; of the underlying methodology of our surveys; and of key aspects of the data quality. It also provides direct access to questionnaires.
Employment Equity group standards
Disability status
Standard unchanged/not requiring updates
- Health problems, self-reported of person
- Health satisfaction, self-assessed of person
- Perceived health of person
Standard in developmentFootnote 2
- Disability type of person with a disability
- Severity of disability of person with a disability
Ethnocultural diversity
Standard updated for Census 2021
- Ethnic or cultural origin of person
- Population group of person
- Visible minority of person
- Generation status of person
- Place of birth of person
- Religion of person
New standard developed for Census 20211
Gender
Standard updated for Census 2021
- Gender of person
- Sex at birth of person
- Opposite- or same-sex status of couple family
- Opposite- or same-sex married spouse or common-law partner of person
New standard developed for Census 20211
Indigenous peoples
Standard updated for Census 2021
- Indigenous ancestry of person
- Indigenous group of person
- Indigenous identity of person
- Membership in a First Nation or Indian band of person
- Registered or Treaty Indian status of person
- Residence on or off reserve of person
New standard developed for Census 20211
- Enrollment under an Inuit land claims agreement of person
- Membership in a Métis organization or Settlement of person
Standard unchanged/not requiring updates
Additional standards
Children
Standard updated for Census 2021
- Child presence in census family
- Child presence in economic family
- Stepfamily status of couple family with children
- Census family status of person
- Census family structure (for census family)
- Economic family status of person
- Economic family structure (for economic family)
Standard unchanged/not requiring updates
No specific definition as a standard but classified under 'age of person'
Immigration
Standard updated for Census 2021
- Immigrant status of person
- Year of arrival of person
- Year of immigration of immigrant
- Citizenship of person
- Place of birth of person
- Generation status of person
- Ethnic or cultural origin of person
- Population group of person
- Visible minority of person
Standard unchanged/not requiring updates
New standard developed for Census 20211
- Admission category of immigrant
- Applicant type of immigrant
- Place of birth of parent of person
- Pre-admission experience of immigrant
Standard in developmentFootnote 2/New standard developed for Census 20211
- Non-permanent resident type of non-permanent resident
Low-income
Standard updated for Census 2021
- Low-income status of economic family
- Low-income status of person
- Low-income status of private household
- Income sources of person
- Total income of census family
- Total income of economic family
- Total income of person
- Total income of private household
- Shelter cost of private household
- Tenure of private household
- Educational attainment of person
- Labour force status of person
Standard unchanged/not requiring updates
- Adjusted after-tax income of economic family
- Adjusted after-tax income to person not in economic family
- Adjusted after-tax income of private household
- Adjusted total income of private household
- After-tax income of census family
- After-tax income of economic family
- After-tax income of person
- After-tax income of private household
- Number of earners of economic family
- Bedrooms of private dwelling
- Dwelling condition of private dwelling
- Persons per room of private household
- Presence of mortgage payments of owner household
- Shelter-cost-to-income ratio of private household
- Structural type of private dwelling
- Subsidized housing of renter household
- Value (owner estimated) of private dwelling
New standard developed for Census 20211
Official languages
Standard updated for Census 2021
- First official language spoken of person
- Knowledge of official languages of person
- Knowledge of non-official languages of person
- Language spoken most often at home of person
- Language used most often at work of person 15 years or over
- Mother tongue of person
- Other language(s) spoken regularly at home of person
- Other language(s) used regularly at work of person 15 years or over