2006 Canadian Census

The 2006 Canadian Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The following census was the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897. This count was lower than the official July 1, 2006 population estimate of 32,623,490 people.[1]

2006 Canadian Census
General information
Country	Canada
Date taken	May 16, 2006
Total population	31,612,897

Summary

Over 12.7 million households, 32.5 million people were expected to be counted. Canada Post delivered census forms by mail to 70% of the country, primarily residents in urban areas. Census enumerators delivered to the remaining 30% of households. Every fifth home received the long questionnaire (53 questions versus 8 questions on the short form). For the first time, Canadian residents were able to go online to fill in their forms. Statistics Canada expected approximately 20% of households to file their surveys electronically. Persistent census staff are contacting tardy households. The total estimated cost of the 2006 census is $567 million spread over seven years, employing more than 25,000 full and part-time census workers.

New in the 2006 Census Questionnaire:

• Education. Where did individuals receive their highest level of education? (Only on extended questionnaire)
• Income. Permission to use income information from an individual's income tax file. Income from child benefits. Income tax paid. (Also only on extended questionnaire)
• Access to personal information. Permission to make information public in 92 years.

Questions not asked in the 2006 Census:

• Religion. Normally asked only once every 10 years, and the religion question was asked in the 2001 Census.
• Education. The number of years of schooling received.

Modified questions

• Education

Data products

As the data were compiled, Statistics Canada released various census data products. The first set of data products was released on March 13, 2007, originally scheduled for release on February 13, 2007,[2] covering population and dwelling counts by geographical unit. This was followed by other census data products.[3]

Population and dwelling counts

The first release of 2006 Census data[4] was on March 13, 2007, covering population and dwelling counts by geographical unit.

Population of the provinces and territories[5]

Population and dwellings

Rank	Province or territory	Population as of 2006 Census	Population as of 2001 Census	Change	Percent change
1	Ontario	12,160,282	11,410,046	750,236	6.6%
2	Quebec	7,546,131	7,237,479	308,652	4.3%
3	British Columbia	4,113,487	3,907,738	205,749	5.3%
4	Alberta	3,290,350	2,974,807	315,543	10.6%
5	Manitoba	1,148,401	1,119,583	28,818	2.6%
6	Saskatchewan	985,386	978,933	6,453	0.7%
7	Nova Scotia	913,462	908,007	5,455	0.6%
8	New Brunswick	729,997	729,498	499	0.1%
9	Newfoundland and Labrador	505,469	512,930	-7,461	-1.5%
10	Prince Edward Island	138,581	135,294	3,287	2.4%
11	Northwest Territories	41,464	37,360	4,104	11.0%
12	Yukon	30,372	28,674	1,698	5.9%
13	Nunavut	29,474	26,745	2,729	10.2%
	Canada	31,632,856	30,007,094	1,625,762	5.4%

Age and sex

The second release of 2006 Census data[6] was on July 17, 2007, covering age and sex of the Canadian population. Among other findings, Statistics Canada reported that the 65-and-over population was at a record high of 13.7% of the total population of Canada.[7] By comparison, the 2001 census found that the 65-and-over population was 13.0% of the total population of Canada.[8]

Population of each province and territory by age[9] and sex[10]

Province / territory	0 to 14	15-64	65+	Males	Females
Newfoundland and Labrador	78,230	356,975	70,265	245,730	259,740
Prince Edward Island	23,985	91,685	20,185	65,595	70,260
Nova Scotia	146,435	628,815	138,210	439,835	473,630
New Brunswick	118,255	504,110	107,635	355,495	374,500
Quebec	1,252,510	5,213,335	1,080,285	3,687,695	3,858,435
Ontario	2,210,800	8,300,300	1,649,180	5,930,700	6,229,580
Manitoba	225,175	761,340	161,890	563,275	585,125
Saskatchewan	187,695	631,155	149,305	475,240	492,915
Alberta	631,515	2,305,425	353,410	1,646,800	1,643,550
British Columbia	679,605	2,834,075	599,810	2,013,985	2,099,495
Yukon	5,720	22,365	2,290	15,280	15,090
Northwest Territories	9,920	29,570	1,975	21,225	20,240
Nunavut	10,000	18,660	810	15,105	14,365
Canada	5,579,835	21,697,805	4,335,255	15,475,970	16,136,925

Families, marital status, households and dwelling characteristics

The third release of 2006 Census data[11] was on September 12, 2007 and covered families/households,[12] marital status,[13] and dwelling characteristics.[14]

The following table displays various census data (derived from the 20% sample that completed the long questionnaire) on marital status for the Canadian population aged 15 years or more, as well as data on the number of couples by various criteria, and where available the percentage change from the 2001 census:

	Number	% Change (2001–2006)
Population aged 15 years and over[15]	26,033,060	+7.2
Legally married (and not separated)	12,470,400	+3.8
Separated, but still legally married	775,425	+5.7
Divorced	2,087,390	+12.5
Widowed	1,612,815	+4.6
In a common-law relationship	2,731,635	+19.6
In a same-sex union[16]	90,695	+32.6
Same-sex couples[17]	45,350
Male same-sex married couples	4,010
Female same-sex married couples	3,455
Male same-sex common-law couples	20,730
Female same-sex common-law couples	17,155
All couples[18]	7,482,780	+6.0
Married couples with children	3,443,775	-0.7
Married couples without children	2,662,130	+9.5
Common-law couples with children	618,150	+16.4
Common-law couples without children	758,715	+20.9

Immigration, citizenship, language, mobility and migration

The fourth release of 2006 Census data[19] was on December 4, 2007 and covered immigration, citizenship, language, mobility, migration and other population data.

Aboriginal peoples

The fifth release of 2006 Census data[20] was on January 15, 2008, covering aboriginal peoples.

Labour, place of work/commuting to work, education, language

The sixth release of 2006 Census data[21] was on March 4, 2008, covering labour,[22] education[23] and some other topics going with that.

Ethnic origin, visible minorities

The seventh release of 2006 Census data[24] was on April 2, 2008, covering ethnic origins and visible minorities[25] and commuting to work.[26]

Income/earnings, shelter costs

The eighth release of 2006 Census data was on May 1, 2008, covering income and earnings, and shelter costs.[27]

Advertising

In contrast to 1996 focus-groups that found it important to know the legal requirement at the outset, participants of 2005 focus-groups were annoyed or provoked by draft ads reminding Canadians about the census law. As a result of the finding, Statistics Canada's initial newspaper, radio and TV ads avoided mention of the legal requirement. Instead, reference to the census law was highlighted only in ads appearing after census day, to capture late filers.

To encourage participation, Statistics Canada set aside $13 million for "saturation" advertising, including billboards, bookmarks, inserts in municipal tax bills, and ads on bags of sugar and milk cartons.[28]

Outsourcing

Statistics Canada reports less than 20% of the work will be outsourced, spending $85 million over 5 years. Despite an open public tender process, controversy arose on the announcement of a $43.3 million deal awarded to Lockheed Martin Canada—a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor by defense revenue—for the purchase of scanning and printing software and hardware.[29]

Forms

A variety of forms were available in both official languages, varying in length, colour, and recipient's location.[30]

Most households (80%) received the short form (2A):

• English: orange
• French: yellow

One in five received the long form (2B):

• English: red
• French: purple

Federal and provincial employees and their families working in embassies and National Defence bases abroad (2C):

• English: purple
• French: red

In the three northern territories and on Aboriginal communities and settlements (2D):

• English: orange
• French: yellow

Census of Agriculture (6):

• English: yellow
• French: orange

Controversy

Special interest groups criticised Statistics Canada over the design of questions, accuracy, and the future of the census data:[31]

• Question 6: Relationship. Couples in same-sex marriages were offended by and/or objected to Statistics Canada's instruction that they use the write-in field "Other" instead of checking the "husband or wife" box.
• Question 16: Mother tongue. An anonymous email misinformation campaign advised bilingual francophones to not mention their knowledge of English.
• Question 53: Election to release census data after 92 years.[32] Genealogists worried that future research will be hampered if Canadians didn't check this box.

Nationally, there was a yes response in respect of 55.58% of persons enumerated in the census. The yes percentage was highest in Prince Edward Island, 64.50%, and lowest in Nunavut, 51.39%.[33] Individual respondents are permitted to change their response to this question by mailing in a request-for-change form.[34]

In addition, Statistics Canada's online questionnaire had been criticized over accessibility issues:[35]

• Failure to comply with Treasury Board, guidelines to meet W3C accessibility recommendations for the visually impaired
• Failure to support open source, operating systems. Support for Linux was eventually added,[36] but support for other operating systems was not.

The quality of data was further hampered by individuals who advocated minimal cooperation or non-cooperation, in protest to the outsourcing contract awarded to Lockheed Martin.[37] Many people believed that Lockheed Martin would have access to their information, and that the US government could then access that information through the USA PATRIOT Act. However, despite assurances to the contrary (i.e., only Statistics Canada employees would and could handle, store, and access the information), some people refused to participate fully in the Census.

The release of data was postponed to numerous issues during enumeration.[2] These included:

• the recruitment of enumerators amid a competitive job market, particularly in Western Canada
• the requirement of some people to fill out a second form after their first forms did not arrive in the mail; and
• delays in payments to enumerators

As a result, the first release of data from the census, originally scheduled for release on February 13, 2007, was delayed to March 13, 2007.[2]

See also

• Canada 2011 Census
• Demographics of Canada
• Statistics Act

External links

• 2006 Census by topics and regions - Statistics Canada's page on the 2006 Census.
• Census 2006 - 2A (Short Form)
• Census 2006 - 2B (Long Form)

References

1. "Differences between Statistics Canada's census counts and population estimates". Statistics Canada. 2006. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
2. "2006 census results delayed amid problems". CBC. February 12, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
3. "2006 Census release dates". 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2006.
4. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Tuesday, March 13, 2007 Archived March 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
5. Statistics Canada, Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2006 Census, Catalogue number 97-550-XWE2006002, released March 13, 2007, Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, province and territories, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
6. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Archived May 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
7. Release no. 2: Age and sex
8. Age and Sex, 2001 Counts for Both Sexes, for Canada, Provinces and Territories - 100% Data
9. Statistics Canada, Age and Sex Highlight Tables, 2006 Census, catalogue number 97-551-XWE2006002, released July 17, 2007, Population by broad age groups, 2006 counts for both sexes, for Canada, provinces and territories - 100% data
10. Age and Sex Highlight Tables, 2006 Census, 2006 counts for males, for Canada, provinces and territories - 100% data, 2006 counts for females, for Canada, provinces and territories - 100% data
11. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Archived February 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
12. Release no. 3: September 12, 2007, Families and households
13. Release no. 3: September 12, 2007, Marital status (including common-law status)
14. Release no. 3: dwelling and household characteristics
15. Statistics Canada, Catalogue number 97-552-XWE2006007, Legal Marital Status (6), Common-law Status (3), Age Groups (17) and Sex (3) for the Population 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 and 2006 Censuses - 100% Data
16. Persons in same-sex unions by broad age groups and sex for both sexes, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20% sample data
17. "Same-sex couples by type of union (married, common-law) and sex, 2006 Census - 20% sample data". Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
18. Couple families by presence of children in private households
19. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Tuesday, December 4, 2007 Archived February 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
20. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Archived February 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
21. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Archived May 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
22. Release no. 6: labour
23. Release no. 6: Education
24. Statistics Canada, The Daily, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 Archived April 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Daily (pdf) Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
25. Release no. 7: Ethnic origin and visible minorities
26. Release no. 7: Place of work and commuting to work
27. Statistics Canada, Census 2006 Release topics and dates.
28. Beeby, Dean (March 26, 2005). "Statistics Canada revamps census ad campaign to play down legal requirements". Canoe Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
29. Lambert, Steve (October 10, 2004). "Census contractor comes under fire". The London Free Press. Retrieved April 28, 2006.
30. "2006 Census: Census questionnaires and guides". Statistics Canada. February 14, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
31. Freeze, Colin. (May 15, 2006). "Census coloured by broad array of interests". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 16, 2006.
32. Statistics Canada, Genealogy corner
33. Statistics Canada, 2006 Census results: The 92-year question. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
34. Statistics Canada, Change or verify your response to the consent question on the 2006 Census of Population
35. Byfield, Bruce (May 12, 2006). "Canadian Census controversy continues". NewsForge. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2006.
36. "Notice to Linux users". Statistics Canada. 2006. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2006.
37. Riga, Andy (May 8, 2006). "Census faces attack from blog rumours". National Post. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2006.