1871 Canadian Census

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]

First Census of Canada
General information
CountryCanada
Date takenApril 2, 1871 (1871-04-02)
Total population3,485,761
Most populous provinceOntario (1,620,851)
Least populous provinceNew Brunswick (285,594)

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.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire was on a variety of subjects and asked 211 questions including area, land holdings, vital statistics, religion, education, administration, the military, justice, agriculture, commerce, industry and finance. Information was collected in tabular form on population, houses and other buildings, lands, industries and institutions. The population section included the age, sex, religion, education, race and occupation of each person, although not every household answered all 211 questions.[5]

Data products
Canada provinces July 1870 – July 1871.

As the data were compiled, Statistics Canada released various census data products.

Population and dwelling counts

Population of the provinces and territories:[6][2][7]

Province
 Males Females Total
Nova Scotia193,792194,008387,800
New Brunswick145,888139,706285,594
Quebec596,041595,4751,191,516
Ontario828,590792,2611,620,851
Canada1,764,3111,721,4503,485,761
Source: Statistics Canada. - Manitoba and Northwest Territories[8]

Religion
Religion Population
 Percentage
Adventist6,1790.18
Anglican494,04914.17
Baptist239,3436.87
Brethren2,305—
Christian——
Congressionalist21,8290.63
Evangelical Association4,7010.13
Friends (Quaker)7,345—
Greek Church18—
Jews1,1150.03
Lutheran37,9351.09
Methodist567,09116.27
Mormon5340.02
No Religion5,1460.15
Pagan1,8860.05
Plymouth Brethren2,229
Presbyterian544,99815.63
Protestant10,1460.29
Roman Catholic1,492,02942.80%
Unitarian2,275—
Other sects27,553—
Not given17,0550.49
Canada3,485,761100.0
Statistics Canada[9]

Origins

The figures for 1871 are for the four original provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) only.

Origins Population
 Percentage
European3,433,31598.5%
     English706,36920.3%
     Irish846,41424.3%
     Scotch549,94615.8%
     Other7,7730.2%
Totals, British2,110,50260.6%
     French1,082,94031.1%
     Dutch29,6620.9%
     German202,9915.8%
     Italian1,0350.0%
     Russian6070.0%
     Scandinavian1,6230.0%
     Swiss2,9620.1%
Other53,4411.5%
Hebrew125—
Native Indian & Inuit (Eskimo)23,0370.7%
Black21,4960.6%
Various1,2220.0%
Unspecified7,5610.2%
Canada3,485,761100.0%
Statistics Canada.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Census of Canada, 1871: How the Census Was Collected". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  2. "Canada Year Book population" (PDF). Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  3. "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. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  5. History of the Census of Canada The first national census in 1871
  6. Series A2-14. Population of Canada by province, census dates, 1851 to 1976
  7. Census of 1871: (33 & 34 Vict. C. 107.) ...By Great Britain. Census Office
  8. They joined the Canadian confederation in July 15, 1870 but were not included in the 1871 official Census of Canada. In 1870 the Hudson's Bay Company-controlled Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory were transferred to the Dominion of Canada. Most of these lands were formed into a new territory named Northwest Territories, but the region around Fort Garry was simultaneously established as the province of Manitoba by the Manitoba Act of 1870. Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec later received additional land from the Northwest Territories, and Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut were later created out of the Northwest Territories. The remaining provinces joined Canada as separate and previously independent colonies.
  9. "God's Empire: Religion and Colonialism in the British World, c.1801–1908". Statistics Canada. 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  10. Coats, R. H. (1931). "Chapter III Canada: Table 45. Origins of the people according to the censuses of 1871, 1881, 1901, 1911 AND 1921 (P. 134–135)" (PDF). nber.org. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
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