HEAD OFFICE: MONTREAL, MARCH 1951
THIS IS CENSUS YEAR
T
HE door-to-door
canvass
thatwillgetunderway thousandyearsin Egyptand amongthe Childrenof
Israel.So no one in Canadaneedsto feel miffed
in Canadaon June1stwillmakeallthecallsby
a mancallsaskingquestions.
salesmen
in a yearlooklikea smalloperation. because
Therewillbe about20,000men and womenon the
In oldentimesthepurpose
wasto listthenumberot
fieldforce,
gathering
by direct
touchwithourpeople fighting
menin a country,
or to levytaxes:today’s
theinformation
required
forCanada’s
ninthdecennial objective
is to planconstructively
foreverycitizen’s
census.
welfare.
Theseenumerators
will make historyin censustaking.Theirworkwill be watchedby governments
Creditof takingthefirstcensusof moderntimes
in dozensof countries.
Theyareexpected
to revolu- belongsto Canada.The yearwas 1666;the census
tionizethe.age-old
practice
of counting
noses.They wasthatof theColonyof NewFrance.
It wasa record
willuseelectronics
andball-point
pensof a special of everypersonby name,on a fixeddate,showing
the
sort,
andtheir’s
willbethefirstnational
census
in the age,sex,placeof residence,
occupation
andconjugal
world to take the new "mark-sense"method of
condition.There were 3,215 personslisted.The
tabulation
fromdoorto door.
original
document
of 154 pagesis in theArchives
of
Paris,butanyoneinterested
in thisuniqueeventmay
Thecensus
is nota stunt,
buta necessity.
It is the see a transcript
in the PublicArchivesat Ottawa.
country’s
equivalent
of themerchant’s
stocktaking,
or
of theprivate
person’s
inventory
to learnwhatinsurTheeventis notable
because
thefirstmodern
census
ancehe shouldcarryon his houseandchattels.
The
(inFrance
assetsto be counted
in thecensusareourpeopleand in Europedatedonlyfromthe18thcentury
fromthefirstof the19thcentury)
andin
thevariousattributes
thatmakethemdifferent
from andEngland
theUnitedStatesof Americatherewas no censusof
people
in othercountries.
the countryas a wholebefore1790.The achievement
Withoutperiodical
appraisal
of our condition
and
of Canada’s
colonyon theSt.Lawrence
in instituting
affairs,
parliament,
provincial
legislatures,
municipal- whatis todayone of the principalinstruments
of
itiesandbusiness
peoplewouldallworkin thedark. government
in everycivilized
countrycallsfor our
No one wouldknow whetherthe countrywas on the
appreciation.
roadto success
or disaster,
or whetherourstandard
of living
wasrising
or failing,
or whatourpossibilities TheBritishNorthAmericaAct,underprovision
of
were for progressin peaceor for defencein war. which Canada becamea self-governing
Dominion,
There wouldbe no clear pictureof our national andsubsequent
legislation,
provided
forcensuses
to
healthneeds,ournational
educational
level,or of a
be takenin 1871andeverytenthyearthereafter.
In
hostof otherfeatures
by whichwe are ableto judge addition,a midwaycensusis takenof Manitoba,
Canada’s
progress
andplanforthefuture.
Saskatchewan
and Alberta.
The decisive
hourof reckoning
is 12 o’clockmid- Secrecy
o]theCensus
night,standard
time,on thenightof May31stto June
1st.Everyonebornbeforethat hour,and everyone
Censusfactsare not publicproperty.
MarcoPolo
dyingafterit,isto be counted
in thepopulation.
tellsus thatin oneplacehe visited
everyhouseholder
wascompelled
to writeoverhisdoorthenamesof all
It is Nothing
New
in his household
and the numberof horseshe had.
In the 1790censusin theUnitedStates,sixhundred
It is nothingnew to requirethatpeoplestandup
officialsknockedon doors,askedfive questions
periodically
to be counted.The censusgoesback
thentackedtheirlistson the
5000yearsin Babylonia
andChina,andthreeor four of whoeveranswered,
ridings,
wallsof localtaverns.
Peoplewhohad beenskipped provincesby the numberof parliamentary
the population
of eachprovince
by the
couldreadall abouttheirneighbours
and,if they and dividing
Readjustments
are to be made
were so minded,add theirown namesand comment. quotientso obtained.
aftereachdecennial
census,
so thatshould
thepopulaIn Canada,the answersgivenby individuals
to
tionof anyprovincehaveincreased
or decreased
by
censusquestions
are absolutely
confidential.
Every the amountof the quotientmentionedby the Act,
employee
of thecensusis boundby a special
oathand thatprovince
willhaveitsrepresentation
in parliament
penaltyagainstdivulging
any factwhatsoever
that increased
or decreased
accordingly.
may havebeenlearnedthrough
the census.
TheBureau
In the readjustment
afterCanada’slastcensus,
of Statistics
is forbidden
to issueanystatement
that
woulddirectly
or indirectly
revealinformation
about Quebecgainedeightseats,Ontariogainedone,Nova
Scotiagainedone,and BritishColumbia
gainedtwo.
a particular
personor concern.
Manitobaand Saskatchewan
each lost a seat. New
Butthatis notall.Census
information
obtained
from Brunswick,PrinceEdwardIslandand Albertareor aboutyoumaynotbe usedfortaxation
or military mained unchanged.Seven seats were given Newpurposes.It is expressly
forbiddenby law to use
foundland
uponentryintoConfederation,
and seats
census
datato taxa person
or to callhimformilitary in the Houseof Commonsnow number262.
service.
Butthecensushaswiderusesthanto fixelectoral
About CountingHeads
representation.
It shows,fromthe widestpossible
angle,
the
stage
we havereachedin evolution
of our
Thecountry
is divided
intocensus
districts,
eachof national
life.
whichis placedin chargeof a censuscommissioner.
Thesedistricts
aredivided
intosub-districts,
varying
Forexample,
oneof thevitalmatters
affecting
both
in population
from600 to 800 in ruraldistricts
and individuals
andtheeconomic
prospects
of the nation
from1,000to 1,500in urbancentres.
Thesub-districtis thelabourforcestatusof individuals.
How many
is allotted
to a censusenumerator,
whoconducts
the
are working?How many are seeking .work? How
house-to-house
andfarm-to-farm
canvass.
manyareoutsidethelabourforcebecauseof keeping
goingto school,
beingillor retired?
The onlypossibleway to get a completesnapshot house,
pictureof ourpopulation
wouldbe to requireevery
Thecensuscannotmakea detailed
examination
into
citizen
to sitdownat midnight
on May31 andfillout theskillof everyCanadian,
butit givesmuchthatis
a formforhimself
or herself
andoneforeveryone
in
useful.
Ittellsforeachpartofthecountry
thenumber
the familywho couldnot write.That,of courseis
of doctorsand nurses,carpenters
andelectricians,
impracticable.
It wouldtakethe nextten yearsto
housemaidsand stenographers,
with information
checkup to seethateveryone
really
didsendin a form. abouteachoccupation
on age, education,
language
So we haveto makehouse-to-house
calls.
spokenand so on. The censusis a uniquerecordof
Thenthereare Canadians
travelling
abroad,Cana- our manpowerand skills.
diansin diplomatic
postsabroad;Canadianaircrew
Another
thingthecensus
tellsis theextent
of immion flightsabroad,the Royal CanadianNavy and
gration
andtheamountof movement
withinthecountry
MerchantMarineand,of course,the UnitedNations from provinceto province.You might be curious
Special
Force.
about the numberof immigrantswho came to this
country
in theboomimmigration
periodwhoare still
Thereis no exceptionfor any regularCanadian here:thecensuswilltell.Or youmightwishto know
resident,
whether
he be in hospital,
travelling
on a
whathashappened
to population
as a resultof wartrainor on a boat,fishing
offtheEastor WestCoasts, timemunitionsmanufacture
in
Quebec
and Ontario,
in penitentiary,
or awayfromhomewhileattending of thefinding
of
oil
in
Alberta,
of
the
development
of
school.
mineralresourcesin Quebec:the 1951censuswill
tellyoutheanswers.
Or youmaybe interested
in the
Everyone
is assigned
to thelocality
in whichhe or
trendfromfarmto city:thecensus
she is regularly
domiciled,
and not merelycounted much-talked-about
in theplacewherefound.Thisis important,
because willtellyou the extentof the movementdominionwhereit is mostandleast
it affects
parliamentary
representation
andprovincial wide,andalsothesectors
pronounced.
subsidies,and is necessaryto many governmental
bodies in planninghousing,publichealth,and
BusinessUseso] the Census
transportation
needs.
Thecensuswillgivebusiness
peoplea betteropporUseso] theCensus
tunityto increase
theefficiency
withwhichtheyplan,
andadvertise.
Firstandbiggest
practical
useof thecensus
figures sell,market
isconstitutional
andlegal.
Thecensus
is takenperiodThe manufacturer
and distributor
must know,if
icallywith the primepurposeof determining
our
they
are
to
project
the
future
sensibly,
how many
representation
in thefederal
parliament,
peopletherewillbe as potential
customers.
Thisdoes
not meanin numbersonly.Whatkindof peoplewill
By the BritishNorth AmericaAct, amendedin
in
1946,representation
was assignedto eachprovince theybe as to ageandsex?Wherewilltheybe living;
what provinces;
in town or country?Are the town
on thebasisof dividing
thetotalpopulation
of the
peoplelivingdowntownor in the suburbs?Whereis
expansionjustified?
What quotasshouldbe given
salesmen?
and socialworkersneedthemto dealwithproblems
of dependency
represented
by personsin the very
youngand veryold age groups.Educational
authoritiesin provinces
and municipalities
mustknowthe
By consulting
thecensus
figures,
bankers
aresuppli- population
by agegroupsif theyareto provideadeed witha variety
of information
theyneedforsound quateschoolaccommodation.
In fact,thereare so
appraisal
of business
development
andof investment manyurgentneedsforinformation
aboutthe agesof
conditions
andopportunities.
Boardsof trade,cham- our peoplethatthisis oneof themostimportant
of
bersof commerce,
and otherserviceinstitutions
of
thecensusquestions.
the kindare enabledto adviseand assistmunicipal
authoritiesin communityplanning,locatingnew
In tencensuses,
covering
a century
of Canada’s
life,
schools,
erecting
electric
sub-stations,
andso on. the percentage
of ourpopulation
undertwentyyears
Theseorganizations
arebetterableto pointout to
has gonedownfrom56.3to 37.5,andthe percentage
manufacturers
andretailers
theadvantages
of obtain- of our population
over64 hasrisenfrom2.7 to 6.7.
ingfactory
sitesandsalesoutlets,
bytelling
thecensus
figureson the labourmarketand localpurchasing SpecialCensuses
power.
As compared
withtherelatively
fewquestions
in the
population
form,
the
agricultural
questionnaire
conThereis, in fact,scarcelya branchof business
many.Beinga census
of industry,
it mustinclude
activity
thatdoesnothavesomespecific
useforcensus rains
areaandoutputof everyfigures.
As a lighterevidence,
consider
the census queriesaboutthe numbers,
produced
on the farm,besidesotherquestions
reportof thenumberof stenographers
in thecountry: thing
thecondition
of thefarmbusiness.
it hasbeenusedby manufacturers
of typewriter
rib- illuminating
bons in estimatinghow many ribbonsthey should
The censusauthorities
have shortenedthe 1951
produce
in a year.
agricultural
questionnaire
considerably
fromthe643
it containedin 1941, and a numberof
Thecensus
canbe of service
to allkindsof persons, questions
questions
have beenput on a samplebasiswhereby
from youthsleavingschoolto employersseeking only
20 per centof the farmersare calleduponto
workpeople.
It tellshow manypersonstherearein
them.A copywillbe mailedto farmoperators
Canada
skilled
intrades,
professions
andarts.It tells answer
in advance
of thecensus
date.
what the earningsfromwagesand salariesare in
thesevariouspursuits,
whatthestateof employment A specialquestionnaire
willbe usedin thethree
is,bothas to immediate
vacancies
andthelong-term PrairieProvinces
andBritishColumbia
dealingwith
trend.It indicates
theagesof peoplein eachlineof irrigation.
work,and whatlevelof earnings
theyhavereached
atvarious
ages.
Forthefirsttimein ourhistory,
we arecalling
the
rollin commercial
fisheries.
Fishermen
have,of course,
In thesedayswhenyoungpeopleare facedwithan
beenincluded
as individuals
in everyprevious
census,
ever-increasing
problemin deciding
whatto takeup
but the fishingindustryhas not beencoveredas a
as a lifework,thecensus
is a splendid
background
for wholein the sameway as has agriculture.
The main
study.It cannotprovideready-made
choices,
or an
purposeis to obtaininformation
on the development
infallible
guide,butit canbe madeto contribute
to
and economic
and socialcircumstances
of fishermen.
constructive
andinstructed
thinking.
The assistance
givenby thePricesSupportBoardcan
resultin maximum
benefits
onlyif it is basedon accuAge is Important
rateanddetailed
information.
Theneedto knowthe agesof peopleso as to calHousing
is to be surveyed
again.In the1941census
culate
thefuture
population
possibilities
ofthelandis a surveywasmadeof everytenthdwelling,
collecting
one goodreasonfor including
thisquestion
in the
27
facts
relating
to
dwelling,
equipment,
and
financial
census,
butthereareothers.
factsrelatedto tenancyand ownership.
The 1951
in muchgreater
Industry
hasfoundthatitssalesareclosely
related surveywillcoverhousingconditions
detail,
and
will
be
done
on
a
sample
basis
in respect
of
to thenumberof peoplein particular
age-sex
groups.
everyfifthhome.
The marketfor certaintypesof women’sclothing
is
an obvious
example;
magazines
havespecialized
appeal
It isexpected
thatthehousing
survey,
in conjunction
to sexandage groups;
bothbabycarriages
andwheel withtheindividual
census,
willprovide
a newmeasurechairs
areage-dated.
mentof livingconditions.
Dep.ressed
areaswillbe
Data about convemenceswill provide
Without
agedatait wouldbe impossible
to estimate revealed.
and distributors
witha wealthof mathecostof oldagepensions
or familyallowances,
and manufacturers
terial
for
market
analysis.
thegovernments
wouldhaveto moveblindlyin making
up theirbudgets.
Medical
services
usethedistributionHow It is Done
of agesandsexesto findthepotential
number
of blood
And now,how is all thisdone? How arethe forms
donorsin variousareas.Townplannersneed this
classification
iftheyaretoplanintelligently
forareas made up? Who decideswhat questionsto ask? How
withwhichtheyare concerned.
Insurance
companies manystaffare needed?Whatis the cost?Whendo we
needthesefigures
in calculating
themortality
rates, gettheresults?
markin therightspaceinstead
of writing
youranswer
Thereis a centralized
officeat Ottawa,
wherethe
pen.
key man is HerbertMarshall,
Dominion
Statistician. in full.He usesan electrographic
He is assistedby severalmen who are expertsin
Then, insteadof transcribing
the information
variousfields,
suchas agriculture,
mathematics
and laboriously
by hand,in the old manner,the census
social
analysis.
peoplewillfeedthe cardsintoa machine.
Wherever
Two maindutiesdevolveuponthe censusdepart. thespecial
inkappears,
an electrical
contact
willbe
merit:to collecttheinformation,
andto compile
it
madeanda holewillbe punched.Thereemergesfrom
intoreports.
The collecting
is doneby censuscom- themachine
a fullypunched
card,readyforautomatic
missioners,
oneforeachelectoral
district,
andsome- counting
or forfiling.
whereabout19,000enumerators
hiredunderdirecThe electronic
statistical
machineis one of the
tionof thecommissioners.
"wizards"
amongmachines.
It willrejectcardsconEnumerators
workon a piece-rate
basis,depending taining
errors.
Forexample,
if theenumerator
hasput
fortheirremuneration
on thenumberof personsthey a markopposite
"6"fora lad’sage,andanother
mark
enumerate,
or the numberof reportstheycomplete. opposite
"married",
thecircuits
won’ttakeit.Simiif a farmer’s
cardhasa holepunched
to indicate
In a recent
testtheratewas8 centsforeachperson larly,
like$55a bushelforhiswheat,the
enumerated
in thepopulation
count,10 centsforeach he gotsomething
won’ttakethateither.
Thesecardswouldbe
housingreport,and 50 centsforeachfarmreported circuits
for correction.
on.Enumerators
arealsopaidforthetimetheyspend thrownoutby themachine
whilebeingtrained.
An energetic
enumerator
should
The machinesare merelyrentedto the Canadian
earnfrom$8 to $10a day.
Government.
Whenour censusis finished,
theywill
Whatarethe qualifications?
It is hardwork,and be shippedto someothercountry.
theenumerator
must,firstof all,be in goodhealth.
Takingeverything
intoconsideration
m men,maThe man doing ruralwork shouldhave a car. All
chines,
printing,
andalltherestu itis estimated
that
enumerators
mustbe ableto takea fairlyheavyand thecostof ourcensuswillbe about$9 million.
More
intensive
programme
of instruction
lasting-three
or
than70 per cent of the moneygoesto enumerators
fourdays.Theymustbe reliable,
so thatourinforma- throughout
Canada,andto staffsin theregional
and
tionwill be accurate.They mustbe trustworthy, centraloffices.
Thewholesumworksout at about64
because
theresult
oftheirworkissecret.
And,finally, centsperperson.
theymustbe available
for fulltimeworkduringthe
censusperiod.
Internationally
Important
Enumerators
arerequired
to use courtesy
and tact
Canada’s
censusis ofinterest
notonlyto Canadians,
incollecting
theinformation,
butcitizens
shouldbear butto peoplein manyotherlands.Everywavelength
in mindthatrefusalto answera censusquestion
is
willcarrythenewswhenit is released
abouttheend
penalized
by law.Evenin thisenlightened
age,there oftheyear.
stillaresomepeoplewhothinkthe censustakeris
As theoutcome
of effortby theUnitedNations,
some
something like a member of the OGPU or MVD
arecounting
headsduring1950and1951.
outto graballtheirbelongings
fortheState.
Instead 40 countries
22 countries
are working
ofthat,
thecensus
taker
isfulfilling
oneofthefunctionsIn the WesternHemisphere,
to takea censusof theAmericas
m the
of a democracy,
whichis co-operation
of allfor the co-operatively
first
attempt
to
gather
vital
economic
and
social
goodof all.The moretruthfully
and promptly
quesaboutthe 300 millioninhabitants
of
tionsareanswered,
theeasierit willbe allaround. information
Northand SouthAmericaat aboutthe sametime.
Whatare thequestions?
Therewillbe eightdocuEachnationtakesits own census,of course,but
mentsused in the 1951census:(1)population;
(2)
certain
factshavebeenagreeduponso thata reasonblindand deaf;(3) housing;(4) agriculture;
ably
accurate
comparison
maybe madeof theresulting
irrigation;
(6)livestockand greenhouses
elsewhere
figures.
thanon farms;(7) commercial
fishermen;
(8)
tribution.
It is interesting,
in thisconnection,
thatNathan
Keyfitz,
seniorresearch
statistician
of theDominion
Throughcourtesy
of theDominion
Statistician,
we
hasbeensenton loanto Burma,
are ableto includewiththisMonthlyLettera form Bureauof Statistics,
containing
the generalpopulation
questions.
These wherehe willhelpplanthe censusof 1952.In this
withthe
haveto be answered
by or foreverylivingCanadian. way,amongothers,Canadais co-operating
Administration
of the United
The formwe have printedwill enableyou and your TechnicalAssistance
familyto playa census"game"now,by filling
in the Nations.
information,
and thenyouwillbe readywiththeanswerswhenthecensusmancalls.
Withthe co-operation
of all our people,we shall
have
at
this
year’s
end
a
full-length
portrait
ofourselves.
WonderfulMachines
The firstroughtotalshouldbe published
by NovemHuge books and forms are no longerin style. ber,and by December
the countshouldbe available
Last censusthe enumerators
carriedaroundforms formunicipalities.
Thefirstdetailed
results
should
be
two feetfourincheswide;thisyeartheywillhave readyby March1952,telling
suchthingsas agedisformsaboutseveninchessquare.Theseare called tribution,
sex,and so on. The completereportis
"mark-sense"
forms.The enumerator
merelymakesa
expectedby March1953.
PRINTED
IN CANADA
by The Royal Bank of Canada