2026 Population and Agriculture Census Questions

Summary#

These Canada Gazette notices publish the exact questionnaires that Statistics Canada will use for the 2026 Census of Agriculture and the 2026 Census of Population, and fix May 2026 as the month for the population count. The orders were made on June 13, 2025 and were published in the Gazette on July 5, 2025.

What it does#

• Prescribes the full set of questions that will appear on the 2026 Census of Agriculture questionnaire (land use, crops, livestock, revenues and expenses, machinery values, technology, renewable energy, direct sales, succession planning, etc.).
• Prescribes the full set of questions for the long-form 2026 Census of Population questionnaire (demographics, languages, education, labour, mobility, Indigenous identity, ethnocultural origins, housing, health and more).
• Fixes May 2026 as the month when the Census of Population will be taken.
• Confirms the census materials reflect recent testing and consultations, including 58 submissions during content consultations, 12 consultation workshops, and a large test in 2024 involving about 222,000 dwellings.
• States proposed timing for data releases (first releases in 2027, with further releases through 2027–2028).

Who's affected#

• All agricultural operations in Canada — the 2026 Census of Agriculture questionnaire is aimed at every farm operation and asks detailed production and business questions.
• Households across Canada — the 2026 Census of Population uses a short and long form; Statistics Canada proposes to continue the practice of sending the long form to about one in four households.
• Governments, researchers, community planners, businesses, and service providers who use census data to plan services, allocate funding, or make business decisions.
• If anything about who must respond is unclear from this notice, Statistics Canada is listed as the contact in the original publication.

Why it matters#

• The questionnaires determine exactly what information will be collected about farms and people. That shapes public policy, local planning, farm programs, business decisions, and research for years to come.
• Census results provide community-level and historical data that many organizations rely on for funding, services and market planning.
• Responding is mandatory under the Statistics Act, so most farms and a large share of households will be required to provide the requested information.