The first Census to take place after Confederation was conducted in 1871. At that time, Canada’s population was about 3.7 million. Most Canadians lived and worked on the family farm, and the country was young with more than one-third of the population under the age of 15.

Today, Canada is a nation of some 30 million people. The majority of Canadians live in cities. The birth rate has declined and now less than one-fifth of the population is under 15 years old. Each year, approximately 200,000 new Canadians arrive from around the world.

These shifting demographic patterns are reflected in many aspects of Canadian life: jobs, family arrangements, housing, education, health care, religion, language, leisure time, travel patterns and cultural pursuits.