2011 Canadian census

Enumeration of the Canadian population on May 10, 2011

The 2011 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population on May 10, 2011. Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, conducts a nationwide census every five years. In 2011, it consisted of a mandatory short form census questionnaire and an inaugural National Household Survey (NHS), a voluntary survey which replaced the mandatory long form census questionnaire; this substitution was the focus of much controversy. Completion of the (short form) census is mandatory for all Canadians, and those who do not complete it may face penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences. The Statistics Act mandates a Senate and/or House of Commons (joint) committee review of the opt in clause (for the release of one's census records after 92 years) by 2014. The 2011 census was the fifteenth decennial census and, like other censuses, was required by section 8 of the Constitution Act, 1867. As with other decennial censuses, the data was used to adjust federal electoral district boundaries. As of August 24, 2011, Canada's overall collection response rate was 98.1%, up over a percentage point from 96.5% in the 2006 census. Ontario and Prince Edward Island each held the highest response rate at 98.3%, while Nunavut held the lowest response rate at 92.7%.

The original schedule of the short form questions for the 2011 Census of Population was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on August 21, 2010. The 2011 census consisted of the same eight questions that appeared on the 2006 census short form questionnaire, with the addition of two questions on language. The federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement's announcement that questions about language would appear on the mandatory short form census came in response to a lawsuit brought by the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities, which claimed that the voluntary status of the long form census would impact language related government services. various organizations called for the following changes to the 2011 census:
Adding "Aboriginal identifier" to the short form (already found on the long form). Relationship of same sex married couples. Place of work and transportation related questions. Food security questions.

The National Household Survey (NHS) began within four weeks of the May 2011 census and included approximately 4.5 million households. The information collected by the NHS was intended to replace the data from the previous long form census questionnaire. Various industry professionals indicated that the data collected by the NHS is not comparable with the data previously collected by the long form questionnaire. Many of the same professionals indicated that the data gathered by a voluntary survey would not be of the same quality as the previous mandatory long form.

In September 2014, Liberal MP Ted Hsu introduced private member's bill "Bill C 626, An Act to amend the Statistics Act" with the intention of appointing a Chief Statistician and reinstatement of the long form census in Canada. Despite wide support as often happens with private bills, this failed (at Second Reading), in February 2015.

Following the election of the liberal government of Justin Trudeau, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development introduced in the House of Commons Bill C 36, An Act to Amend the Statistics Act on December 7, 2016. The amendments were passed by Royal Assent on December 13, 2017. The Government of Canada press release stated that the amendments were made to the Statistics Act to "ensure that decisions on statistical matters are transparent and are based on professional considerations."

One day after its election in November 2015, the new Liberal government reinstated the mandatory census long form and it was used in the 2016 census.

Rank Province or territory Population as of2011 census Population as of2006 census Change Percentchange 1 12,851,821 12,160,282 691,539 5.7 2 7,903,001 7,546,131 356,870 4.7 3 4,400,057 4,113,487 286,570 7.0 4 3,645,257 3,290,350 354,907 10.8 5 1,208,268 1,148,401 59,867 5.2 6 1,033,381 968,157 65,224 6.7 7 921,727 913,462 8,265 0.9 8 751,171 729,997 21,174 2.9 9 514,536 505,469 9,067 1.8 10 140,204 135,851 4,353 3.2 11 41,462 41,464 −2 0.0 12 33,897 30,372 3,525 11.6 13 31,906 29,474 2,432 8.3 33,476,688 31,612,897 1,863,791 5.9