Statistics Canada
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2. Census of Agriculture
2.1 Census of Agriculture
Just as the Census of Population is taken to ensure representation by population, the Census of Agriculture is required to find out about the country's farming and food production population.
Agriculture has always been an important part of Canada's economy. Jean Talon's census of 1667 tells us that the colony had 11,448 arpents of land (3,915 hectares) under cultivation, 3,107 cattle, and 85 sheep.
2.2 Census of Agriculture history
The British North America Act of 1867 called for a Census of Canada to be taken in 1871 and every ten years thereafter.
However, the expansion of western Canada at the turn of the century created a demand for agricultural information at more regular intervals. A mid-decade agricultural census was first held in Manitoba in 1896 and then extended in 1906 to Alberta and Saskatchewan.
In 1956, Canada began taking a Census of Population and a Census of Agriculture every five years.
2.3 Census of Agriculture today
On May 16, 2006, everyone who runs an agricultural operation completed a Census of Agriculture questionnaire. The Census of Agriculture gives us facts about the country's farming and food production.
For more information, see About the Census of Agriculture.
The publication Canadian Agriculture at a Glance provides very readable and entertaining articles based on information from the Census of agriculture.
