Census records [multiple media] Archives / Collections and Fonds
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Hierarchy 
Census records [multiple media]
Hierarchical level:SeriesContext of this record:Series includes:7 lower level description(s)View lower level description(s) -
Record information Census records [multiple media]
Date:1825-2006.Reference:R233-15-7-E, RG31-CType of material:Textual material, Maps and cartographic material, Moving images, Sound recordings, Objects (including medals and pins)Found in:Archives / Collections and FondsItem ID number:134469Date(s):1825-2006.Bilingual equivalent:Place of creation:No place, unknown, or undeterminedExtent:280.02 m of textual records
976 microfilm reels
ca. 95,900 maps
10 microfilm reels : cartographic material negative, maps 35mm.
27 atlases : 1235 leaves
3 videocassettes (21 min, 52 s)
1 audio cassette (10 min)
ca. 20 objects : magnets, pencils, buttons, lapel pins, stamps.
ca. 300 leaves : posters, flyers, pamphlets, decals, booklets, bookmarks, envelopes and letterhead.
1.3 TB of maps (tiff) (39,353 files)Language of material:EnglishAdded language of material:English, FrenchScope and content:Series consists of records created or maintained for census-related activities by Statistics Canada and its precursors. The records date from 1825 onwards, and pertain to the Census of Canada, the census of parts of Canada (e.g., Census of the Prairie Provinces), as well as records related to the Pre-Confederation census of Lower Canada/Canada East, Upper Canada/Canada West and New Brunswick.
At Confederation, the British North America Act, 1867 (later named the Constitution Act, 1867) mandated that a decennial census be conducted in 1871 and every tenth year thereafter. The population counts in the previous decennial census are used to adjust representation in Canada's House of Commons and affect provincial subsidies and other federal activities.
In the early 1900s, mid-decade censuses in years ending in "6" were also taken of the increasingly populated Prairie provinces. A census of all Canada every five years has been conducted since 1951, and, since 1971, has been mandated by the Statistics Act.
Prior to 1971, most information was collected by enumerators who would speak with individuals in a circumscribed area and record observations on forms and in registers. Self-enumeration through the completion of mail-in forms began with the 1971 census.
CENSUS RETURNS Series consists of census returns from 1825 to 1931. In addition to various Pre-Confederation census returns from Lower Canada/Canada East, Upper Canada/Canada West and New Brunswick censuses, the series features returns from the: 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, and 1931 Canadian censuses; 1906 Census of the NorthWest Provinces; the 1916 and 1926 Census of Prairie Provinces.
The series' census returns from 1871 and prior may include many schedules, addressing households, agriculture, industry, among other topics. The series' census returns from 1881 to 1926 are for the census of population only, with the exception of some returns for a 1906 Census of Manufacturers.
Series also includes a sample of direct responses and refusals received by Statistics Canada for the 1986 census.
CENSUS GEOGRAPHY Series consists of maps and descriptions of areas used or created for various census activities, including enumeration. The vast majority of maps in the series were compiled by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics or its successor, Statistics Canada, for activities related to the censuses of 1941 to 1996; but a few additional maps dating from 1865 and 2001 are also included. The majority of maps in the series are reference maps, however series also includes some collection (field/enumeration) maps and thematic (statistical) maps. Also included are textual listings or descriptions of the enumeration districts/sub-districts used in censuses dating from 1871 to 1971.
CENSUS FORMS AND ADMINISTRATION Series also consists of various census : forms, questionnaires, instructions, manuals, job descriptions, administration and meeting files, registers and indexes, correspondence, and more.
CENSUS PROMOTION Series also consists of promotional material and public relations material created for the 1986 census of population and agriculture, and the 2006 census of population. Posters, pamphlets, and flyers were developed in many languages. Audio-visual material comprises moving images and sound recordings, such as television commercials and instructional material, related to 1986 Census public relations.Additional name(s):Biography/Administrative history:Statistics Canada. Census and Household Surveys Field : With the creation of the Dominion Bureau of Statistics in 1918, a Demography Division was formed, of which the `Census Unit' - responsible for the taking of the census - was part. By 1953, the Demography Division had been renamed the Census Division, and was responsible for all aspects of the census, including the planning, taking, compiling and publication of the results. The name was changed in 1973 from the Census Division to the Census Branch, and later the same year the Census Field. By 1978, the Field became `Census and Household Surveys', responsible for the measurement of the attributes, behaviour and attitudes of individuals, households and families, particularly demographic and socio-economic attributes. This responsibility also included estimating and projecting basic demographic dimensions of the Canadian population. RG 31 General Inventory; Statistics Canada Annual Reports; David A Worton, The Dominion Bureau of Statistics: A history of Canada's Central Statistics Office and its antecedents, 1841-1972".Additional information:Source of title:Title is based on the contents of the series.Accruals:Further accruals are expected.Related material:See also: the Department of Agriculture fonds for records of the Census and Statistics Branch dating from 1796-1873 (R194-69-5-E, MIKAN 156272); the Department of Trade and Commerce fonds, especially but not only in the series "Departmental Commission on Official Statistics of Canada", for records related to the period 1912 to 1918 (R202-41-6-E, MIKAN 3726458); as well as the Indian and Inuit Affairs Program sous-fonds, for census-related records dating from 1830-1964 maintained by that Department (R216-5-X-E, MIKAN 133549)., Within the Statistics Canada fonds, records related to the census are also featured in several other series. The census is a topic addressed by the records of the Chief Statisticians and Assistant Chief Statisticians (Arc. Ref. R233-10-8-E and R233-11-X-E, respectively). For census-related meeting and committee files primarily dating from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including discussions of methods, see the Social Statistics Field series (Arc. Ref. R233-26-1-E). For the questionnaires and forms used in the census of manufactures (also known as the census of industry) for the years 1943 - 1968, see the Business and Trade Statistics Field series (Arc. Ref. R233-16-9-E). For census-related records dating from 1981 - 1991 that were maintained by Statistics Canada's Edmonton Regional Office, see accession with BAN no. 2004-01175-0)., Census publications, including but not limited to printed census volumes, monographs, and bulletins, are found in Library and Archives Canada's library collection.Link to related resource:Searching for an individual enumerated in a census return from 1825 to 1931? Go to Library and Archives Canada's online Census Search at https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Census/Index
Census publications dating from 1851 to 1999 have been digitized by Statistics Canada and are available online at https://archive.org/details/statisticscanadaSource:GovernmentFormer archival reference no.:RG31-C -
Ordering and viewing options Conditions of access:Textual records[Consultation Restrictions vary]Textual records: microform[Consultation Restrictions vary]Cartographic material[Consultation Open]Moving images (video)[Consultation Open]Sound recordings[Consultation Open]Object[Consultation Restrictions not set]Cartographic material: electronic[Consultation Open]Cartographic material: microform[Consultation Open]Terms of use:Terms of use vary. In all instances, credit Library and Archives Canada.You can order materials in advance to be ready for you when you visit. You will need a user card to do this.
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