logo

Video encyclopedia

Canada 2011 Census

3:20

Census - Canadian Families: Then and now

2:54

2016 Census: 150 years of population growth in Canada

1:35

Census 2011

3:42

Canada 2016 Census

3:43

Canada election: How are federal electoral districts determined?

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 census is mandatory for all Canadians, and those who do not complete it may face penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences.