Canada's national census happens every five years with the most recent in 2021. Statistics Canada is set to include new questions in the 2026 census to get a fuller picture on different communities.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Canada’s 2026 census will add questions on sexual orientation and homelessness, and seek to better understand how hybrid workplaces are changing commutes.
Statistics Canada says it is working to address perceived data gaps in its quest to paint an up-to-date portrait of the population.
The agency is also adding what may seem like a basic question, but one with an answer that’s in demand: How is your health?
The questions for the May, 2026, census were formally approved by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet on June 13 and published online.
Though many other surveys collect demographic data from Canadians, the census is mandatory and provides the ability to cross-reference data against many other variables.
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Census data, for example, are how businesses might decide whether or where they might expand, social-services agencies map out populations in need, or housing developers determine where next to build.
“The country relies on high-quality information from the census,” Statscan said in its report on consultations for the coming population survey.
The changes reflect consultation by Statscan over the past two years.
The report on those consultations said previous iterations of the census were satisfying most information needs, but “changes could be made to further improve its relevance.”
The 2026 long-form census will, for the first time, ask Canadians over the age of 15 about their sexual orientation, building on a decision to include questions about sex at birth and gender in the 2021 survey.
The information isn’t collected in other national surveys, or the data that are gathered aren’t always reliable, the agency heard.
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Collecting the information through the census will “provide valuable information about LGB+ individuals in Canada, helping to inform evidence-based policies and programs that address and monitor the inequities they face,” the Statscan consultation report said.
The question reads: “What is this person’s sexual orientation?” and offers an explanation: “Sexual orientation refers to how a person describes their sexuality.” The options provided are: “heterosexual (i.e., straight); lesbian or gay; bisexual or pansexual; or please specify this person’s sexual orientation.”
Egale Canada called the inclusion of the question an important and historic step.
“Visibility in data drives inclusion in society – and this progress helps ensure that 2SLGBTQI people are counted, considered and not left behind,” said Helen Kennedy, the organization’s executive director.
The census also tackles the shift to hybrid workplaces, adding a question to better understand how peoples’ commutes have changed since COVID-19.
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The census will also include a question about whether respondents have been homeless within the past 12 months or are currently living somewhere because they have no other options. This comes after a decision in 2021 to expand questions about housing on Indigenous reserves to have a more comprehensive picture of Canadians’ housing situations and costs, including in rural and remote communities.
The absence of a question on general health was the most frequently reported data gap in census content. The Public Health Agency of Canada made a request to include it, as did municipalities, to support research into the health of small populations, the Statscan report said.
The question is supported by a definition: “Health means not only the absence of disease or injury but also physical, mental and social well-being.”
The census will also ask more questions about military service, to get a better understanding of Canada’s soldiers and veteran population.
Other changes for 2026 are linguistic. The census will drop words such as “mother-in-law” or “father-in-law” when asking about household relationships, and replace them with gender-neutral terms, and switch the phrase “substance abuse” out for “substance use disorder.”
The census is completed every five years. The last census took place in May of 2021.
Previously, a question on religion was asked every 10 years – and was last asked in 2021 – but Statistics Canada recommended that it be asked again in 2026.
“This is to ensure that the census measures important trends in society, continues to produce relevant and high-quality data, and meets the increased demand for more frequent data on religious groups,” Statscan spokesperson Julien Abord-Babin said in an e-mail.