StatCan says Canada’s 2026 census participation was among highest ever

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says the response rate for this year’s census of the population was 98.4 per cent, one of the highest ever recorded.

The data is collected every five years and the questionnaire includes age, gender, marital status and language use.

That information is used to determine electoral maps, plan social programs and determine funding for municipal and provincial governments.

This spring, some people posted photos of their forms marked “return to sender” and made claims that the questions violated their privacy rights, prompting Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen to urge people to fill out the form.