Question Period Note: CENSUS DATA ON VETERANS

• The 2021 Census represents the first time since 1971 that a question on military service was included in the Census.
• A Veteran identifier will be included on the long form of Census 2026.
• Census data helps to fill key gaps in our understanding of the Veteran population, such as the number of aging Veterans, the number of Indigenous Veterans, and information on Veteran family composition.
• Veterans Affairs Canada worked with Statistics Canada to develop a Contemporary Portrait of Canadian Veterans to enhance the impact of programs and services, particularly for Veterans who have previously been under-represented.

The 2021 Census represents the first time since 1971 that a question on military service was included.
Census 2021 Question: Has this person ever served in the Canadian military?
• Yes, currently serving in the Regular Force or the Primary Reserve Force
• Yes, but no longer serving in the Regular Force or the Primary Reserve Force
• No
Compared to the Veteran identifier in Census 2021, the 2026 version provides more detailed information on Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) service type by allowing respondents to specify whether they served – or are currently serving – in the Regular Force, Reserve Force, or “Other” (write-in response). In conjunction with other questions on Census 2026 (e.g., Indigenous status, visible minority status, sex at birth, gender, languages, and more), this differentiation will support comprehensive analyses of the sampled Canadian Veteran population, stratified by all Veteran sub-populations of interest and disaggregated by CAF service type.
The Veteran identifier question in Census 2026 is phrased as follows:
31. Has this person ever served in the Canadian military? Do not include service as a Cadet (youth program).
• Yes, currently serving in the Canadian military. What type of service is this? Mark all that apply.
o Regular Force
o Reserve Force
o Specify other type of service
• Yes, but no longer serving in the Canadian military. What type of service was this? Mark all that apply.
o Regular Force
o Reserve Force
o Specify other type of service
• No Canadian military service
New and updated content on Census 2026 will support comparisons between Regular Force and Reserve Force Veterans across numerous variables of interest, including general health, homelessness, sexual orientation, activities of daily living, and labour force status.

QUICK FACTS & FIGURES
What we know so far about Veterans from the Census 2021 data:
• 461,240 Canadian Veterans as of May 11, 2021
• 16.2% of Veterans were women; 83.8% were men.
• Average age of women Veterans was 59.1 vs 61.7 for men.
• 33,420 were age 85 or older.
• 67.0% were married or common-law.
• 22.1% had a university degree or higher.
• Unemployment rate of 8.9%.
• 28.1% reported “always having difficulties” with their activities of daily living.
• 5.4% were in core housing need.
• 23,075 Veterans were Indigenous, including 10,950 First Nations, 10,440 Métis, and 755 Inuk (Inuit), as well as 930 with other/multiple affiliations.
• Indigenous Veterans accounted for 5.2% of Veterans in private households.
• The majority of Indigenous Veterans live off reserve (93.3%) with 6.7% living on reserve.
• The majority of Veterans were cisgender (99.7%) while 0.2% were transgender and 0.1% were non-binary.
• Higher concentrations of Veterans are found in the following cities:
o Belleville (4.5%), Halifax (4.4%), Kingston (4.0%), Fredericton (3.8%), Saint John (3.5%).