Stats Canada Census Handbook
From Statistics Canada 2001 Census Handbook: Link
5.4 Ethnic Origin
With one exception (1891), decennial censuses since 1871 included a question on the
“origins” of respondents. The purpose of the ethnic origin question is to collect data on
the ethnic or cultural ancestry of the Canadian population.
Comparability of ethnic origin data has been affected by several factors including
changes in the question wording, format, examples, instructions and data processing, as
well as by the social environment at the time of the census.
The wording and the format of the 2001 question are the same as in the 1996 question.
The order of the examples, however, has been changed to reflect the order in which
answers were reported in the 1996 Census.
5.5 Population Group
This question provides information about the visible minority population in Canada which
is required for programs under the Employment Equity Act (1986). According to this Act,
members of visible minorities are persons (other than Aboriginal persons) who are non-
Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.
The 1996 Census was the first time a population group question was asked in the
census. Prior to 1996, data on visible minorities were derived from responses to the
ethnic origin question, in conjunction with other ethno-cultural information, such as
language, place of birth and religion.
In the 2001 population group question, response categories included 11 mark-in circles
and one write-in box. Respondents were asked to mark or specify one or more of the
following: “White”, “Chinese”, “South Asian (e.g., East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan)”,
“Black”, “Filipino”, “Latin American”, “Southeast Asian (e.g., Cambodian, Indonesian,
Laotian, Vietnamese)”, “Arab”, “West Asian (e.g., Afghan, Iranian)”, “Japanese”,
“Korean”, “Other – Specify”.
The mark-in response categories listed, with the exception of “White”, were based on the
visible minority groups identified by the Employment Equity Technical Reference Papers,
published by Employment and Immigration Canada in 1987, and used for federal
employment equity programs. After “White”, population groups were listed in order of the
frequency (largest number) of visible minority counts derived from the 1996 Census. In
2001, a note on the census questionnaire informed respondents that this information is
collected to support programs which promote equal opportunity for everyone to share in
the social, cultural and economic life of Canada.
The Data from 'Population Group':
Link
Name Total pop Vis Min. Chinese S.Asian Black Filipino
Canada 29,639,030 3,983,845 1,029,395 917,070 662,215 308,575
Newfoundland and Labrador 508,075 3,850 920 1,005 845 260
Prince Edward Island 133,385 1,180 205 110 370 35
Nova Scotia 897,565 34,525 3,290 2,895 19,670 655
New Brunswick 719,710 9,425 1,530 1,415 3,845 355
Quebec 7,125,580 497,975 56,830 59,505 152,195 18,550
Ontario 11,285,550 2,153,045 481,505 554,870 411,090 156,515
Manitoba 1,103,700 87,115 11,930 12,880 12,820 30,490
Saskatchewan 963,150 27,580 8,085 4,090 4,165 3,025
Alberta 2,941,150 329,925 99,100 69,585 31,390 33,940
British Columbia 3,868,875 836,445 365,490 210,290 25,460 64,005
Yukon Territory 28,520 1,020 225 205 120 235
Northwest Territories 37,100 1,545 255 190 175 465
Nunavut 26,665 210 40 25 65 35
1 Counts for the non-visible minority population are not shown as a separate data column in this table, but are included in the total population data for each geographic area.
2 Includes population counts for all visible minority groups, including the four groups whose counts are shown separately in this table.
Now the self-identifying 'Ethnic Origin' data, where census takers can make multiple responses
Selected Ethnic Origins1, for Canada, Provinces and Territories - 20% Sample Data
Link
Origins Total resp Single resp Multiple resp
Total pop 29,639,035 18,307,540 11,331,490
Canadian 11,682,680 6,748,135 4,934,550
English 5,978,875 1,479,520 4,499,355
French 4,668,410 1,060,755 3,607,655
Scottish 4,157,210 607,235 3,549,975
Irish 3,822,660 496,865 3,325,800
German 2,742,765 705,595 2,037,170
Italian 1,270,370 726,275 544,090
Chinese 1,094,700 936,210 158,490
Ukrainian 1,071,060 326,200 744,860
North American Indian 1,000,890 455,805 545,085
Dutch (Netherlands) 923,310 316,220 607,090
Polish 817,085 260,415 556,670
East Indian 713,330 581,665 131,665
From Link :
Rise in the reporting of "Canadian"
Changes to the ethnic origin question in the 1996 and 2001 censuses resulted in an increase in the number of people reporting Canadian or Canadien as part of their ethnic heritage in both 1996 and 2001. Specifically, “Canadian” was included as an example on the English questionnaire and “Canadien” as an example on the French questionnaire in both censuses.
In the 2001 Census, 11.7 million people, or 39% of the total population, reported Canadian as their ethnic origin, either alone or in combination with other origins. This was up from 1996 when 8.8 million, or 31% of the population, did so. About 6.7 million people, accounting for 23% of the population, reported Canadian as their only ethnic origin in 2001. An additional 5 million (16%) reported Canadian along with other origins.
In contrast, in 1996 about 5.3 million people, or 19% of the total population, reported Canadian only, and 3.5 million or 12% reported Canadian along with other ethnic origins.
When Canadian was not listed as an example on the 1991 Census questionnaire, only 3% reported Canadian as a sole ethnic origin and just 1% reported Canadian in combination with one or more other origins.