Farmers may not be done seeding by May 15, but that is the day almost all of them will be filling in their Statistics Canada census form.
Saskatchewan’s 98 percent return of government census forms is the world’s best, said Larry Deters, a regional director for the statistics agency. Close behind is Manitoba at 97 percent.
While the every-five-years census time has traditionally been in June, Deters said farm work doesn’t necessarily interfere with the process.
“Citizenship here in Saskatchewan has always been high. You have a population with a high sense of responsibility.”
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
Each of the 286,000 farms in Canada will get two census forms — an agricultural one and a population one. The population census will go to 11.8 million households. The agency said it will take farmers about 40 minutes to fill out their agricultural form. Financial reports such as property tax and income tax forms will be needed.
New to the census this year are questions about computer use and organic farming.
This census, like the last one, allows a family to list more than one farm operator who is involved in daily decisions. It will also ask about off-farm labor.
One in five households will get the long form of the general population census. It asks about hours doing unpaid work such as care of family members and housework.
Completion of the questionnaire is mandatory and a person may be fined $500 or imprisoned for three months, or both, for refusing to answer the questions.
A help line for the agricultural census will be operating in May. Call 800-591-2001.
Canada’s first census was done in 1666 by Jean Talon, the head of New France. That census listed 3,215 people, excluding aboriginals and royal troops, and asked questions on age, sex, marital status and occupation to gather reliable data to organize the colony.
Today’s census has a similar purpose. Data help the government identify trends and decide how to deal with them.
In a March 13 presentation in Saskatoon of data from the last census, Doug Norris of Statistics Canada said the dominant themes are the aging of the population and the growing diversity among people.
Immigration is helping Canada grow since the birth rate is below replacement level. But unlike the last big immigration wave before the First World War, when most came from Europe, today’s immigrants are often Asian. Three-quarters of all immigrants head for Canada’s three biggest cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, making the Canadian population more urban than ever.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba have the highest senior populations, with about 15 percent of citizens over 65. Alberta is the youngest province with 10 percent seniors.
Within 10 years, said Norris, there will be more seniors in the country than children.
Census data also reveals other demographic trends.
- Alberta leads the country in households with computers, using e-mail and the internet, and in cell phone use. Half or more of all Alberta households use the new technology, compared to 30 to 40 percent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- In 1980 the richest 20 percent of Canadians earned 12 times more than the poorest 20 percent. By 1998 that wage gap had widened to 22 times.
- Cancer has tied heart disease as the leading cause of death. That is driven by the incidence of lung cancer. If lung cancer is removed from statistics, the death rate due to cancer is falling.
