1871 Canadian census

1871 Canadian census
April 2, 1871 1881 →
General information
CountryDominion of Canada
AuthorityDepartment of Agriculture (Census Branch)
Websitebac-lac.gc.ca (1871)
Results
Total population3,485,761
Most populous ​provinceOntario (1,620,851)
Least populous ​provinceNew Brunswick (285,594)

The 1871 Canadian census marked the first regularly scheduled collection of national statistics of the Canadian population on April 2, 1871,[1][2] as required by section 8 of the British North America Act.[3] The constitution required a census to be taken in 1871 and every tenth year thereafter.[3] Parliament implemented the requirements of the constitution through the Census Act of May 12, 1870. In the first census, the population of Canada was enumerated to be 3,485,761.[4]

All inhabitants of Canada were included, including aboriginals. While this was the first national census of Canada, only four provinces existed at the time: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Other areas of what later became part of Canada continued to be enumerated in their own separate censuses. The results of the 1871 census, in both English and French, were reported in a five volume set.

The following census was the 1881 census.

  1. ^ "Census of Canada, 1871: How the Census Was Collected". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. 11 March 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Canada Year Book population" (PDF). Statistics Canada. 31 March 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "History of the Census of Canada". Statistics Canada. 2006. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  4. ^ "Canada: Overview of the 1871 Census". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. 11 March 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2020.