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STATISTICS CANADA CENSUS

MAY 1 TO 30, 2026

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Statistics Canada will launch the 2026 Census on May 1. Canadians will be asked to respond to the questionnaire, which includes questions on topics such as housing, work and official languages.

The information collected from the Census will be used to produce statistics that will be used by government, municipalities, agencies, groups and organizations such as Parents for Bilingual Education in NB to make informed decisions, plan services and develop social and economic programs that will improve the quality of life for families across the province.

In New Brunswick, figures from the 2021 Census indicate that 73% of Francophones and 60% of Anglophones who attended immersion are bilingual.

Let's be proud to live in the only officially bilingual province in Canada!

Next May, when you answer your questionnaire, identify yourself as bilingual and answer French and English to question 8.

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QUESTION 8:

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Do you know English or French well enough to conduct a conversation?

In other words, do you speak only English, or French, or both official languages?

You can check only one answer.

It is important to note that the question is about the ability to conduct a conversation in the second language and not to excel in the second language. The latest data indicates that 60% of New Brunswick Anglophones who have attended the immersion program are considered bilingual. If you and your family members are between the ages of 25 and 54 and have attended French immersion, you are considered bilingual.

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QUESTION 54.B:

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If you selected both official languages in Question 54.a, which one do you use most often at work?

Do you use English more often, or French? You can also select both official languages if you use them equally often more often than the other at home, or that you speak both official languages equally.

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QUESTION 54.A:

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Which languages do you regularly use at work?

Do you speak only English, only French, both official languages, or another language?

You may choose more than one answer.

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QUESTIONS 12, 13:

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In which language did you do your primary and secondary schooling (including French immersion)? These questions help identify the number of people who have participated in the French immersion program or who are currently in French immersion. These questions also help identify individuals with a right to education in the minority language more often than the other at home, or that you speak both official languages equally.

Why is it so important that I answer the language questions in the Census? What difference does it make? Because the government, your municipality and community organizations need this information to know where they need to offer new services or improve existing ones.

In addition, the latest data indicates that the bilingualism rate in New Brunswick is 34%. Of these, only 16% of Anglophones identified as bilingual.

However, when French immersion statistics are taken into account, the percentage of bilingual English-speaking New Brunswickers jumps to 60%.

New Brunswickers are more bilingual than they think The 2026 Census is a good time to get a true picture of the linguistic capacity of the province’s Anglophones and Francophones of New Brunswick.

When do I have to fill out the census form and what happens if I am late? Officially, the census takes place on May 11. You may receive the questionnaire by mail or electronically by then, but you will be asked to respond based on your household situation on May 11. If you are late, you still have until the end of the month to complete the questionnaire.

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