The Census of Canada from an Archival Perspective

With the launch of the census of New France in 1666, Intendant of Justice, Police and Finance Jean Talon began the statistic taking tradition in Canada. The Intendant personally enumerated the 3,215 inhabitants of New France with regards to their age, sex, marital status and occupation. Interested in the characteristics of the inhabitants under his control, the information gathered allowed the Intendant to develop policies that helped the new colony to flourish. As an example, Talon discovered a surplus of men in relation to women. He therefore arranged for young women to be transferred from France, imposed penalties on bachelors and rewarded early marriage and large families. By 1763, when New France became part of the British Empire, thirty-six full and nine partial censuses had been conducted of the colony.