1931 Census Of Canada Releases June 1, 2023



After the legislated 92 years in the vault, the highly anticipated 1931 Census of Canada will be made available to the Public, FamilySearch wrote. 

Collected during the Great Depression and at a time of significant immigration, the census provides a snapshot of the more than 10 million people living in Canada in 1931. On June 1, 2023, Canadians can expect to browse the digitized census images by geographic districts and subdistricts on the Library and Archives of Canada (LAC)  website.

Following the initial release, LAC will work collaboratively with Ancestry and FamilySearch International to create an advanced searchable database for Canadians, and those with Canadian heritage who wish to look for ancestors.

In this collaborative effort to increase access to the 1931 Census of Canada, LAC has digitized all 234,687 pages of the census and Ancestry will apply its state-of-the-art handwriting recognition technology to the digital images to create a full index of the entire census. FamilySearch will then review the computer-generated index to ensure a compete and accurate index of all fields at a level never achieved before. 

The images and indexes will be available and searchable online for free through Census Search, Library and Archives of Canada’s new one-stop- shop for national census records, The images and indexes will also be available on Ancestry.ca and and FamilySearch.org.

“Library and Archives Canada is very excited to announce that it will be making the eagerly awaited 1931 Census of Canada available to the public in just a few months. Our partnership with Ancestry and FamilySearch will give us the opportunity to provide our users with an improved experience when searching and browsing the 1931 Census. This is directly in line with our goal to provide online, reliable and trusted access to Canada’s documentary heritage” – Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of Canada.

LAC has been working in collaboration with external organizations like Ancestry and FamilySearch for over 20 years to help preserve access to genealogical significant historical records. Today, collaborations between private organizations and public institutions are the meeting ground of cutting-edge technology and subject-matter expertise. This collaborative partnership is key to meeting public demand and ensuring that the 1931 Census of Canada can be viewed and searched online more quickly than previous censuses.

“Ancestry is delighted to work with Library and Archives Canada and FamilySearch to bring the 1931 Census of Canada to the public and digitize these precious records for future generations. The release of the 1931 Census could enable millions of Canadians over the age of 60 to find census data for their parents for the first time. For those aged between 35 and 49, the census offers the first opportunity to access records for their grandparents. This will be game-changing for people building their family history and making connections with their ancestors.” – Todd Godfrey, VP Global Content at Ancestry.

“FamilySearch is excited about the release of the 1931 Census of Canada. We are honored to work with Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry to make its pages easily searchable for those individuals worldwide with Canadian roots seeking to extend the branches of their family tree and make fun personal and family connections,” said Stephen Valentine, Senior Vice President, FamilySearch International.

Related Articles on FamilyTree.com:

Library & Archives Of Canada

Naturalization Index For Canada

Alberta Canada – Proliferate Details

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