In honour of Veterans’ Week, we’re spotlighting a milestone from the 2021 Census: for the first time since 1971, Canadians were asked directly about their military experience in the short-form questionnaire.
Unlike past questions, which focused on wartime service from men aged 35 and older, this new question provided a fuller picture by including Veterans and active personnel of all ages and genders.
Thanks to this change, we now know that 461,240 Canadians identified as Veterans—a powerful reminder of the breadth of service across generations and a meaningful step toward honoring every Canadian who has served.
Source: Veterans data in the 2021 Census of Population (statcan.gc.ca)
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).