The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Membership in a First Nation or Indian band

'Membership in a First Nation or Indian band' refers to whether a person reported membership in a First Nation or Indian band. A band is defined as a body of Indians for whose collective use and benefit lands have been set apart or money is held by the Crown, or who have been declared to be a band for the purpose of the Indian Act. Many Indian bands have elected to call themselves a First Nation and have changed their band name to reflect this. With the 1985 amendment to the Indian Act of Canada (Bill C-31), many Indian bands exercised the right to establish their own membership code, whereby it was not always necessary for a band member to be a Registered Indian according to the Indian Act.

Citation note
The definition of band is based on that provided in "Words First - An Evolving Terminology Relating to Aboriginal Peoples in Canada" Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, October, 2002.

'Person' refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programmes.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Aboriginal identity

'Aboriginal identity' refers to whether the person reported identifying with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. This includes those who reported being an Aboriginal person, that is, First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit) and/or those who reported Registered or Treaty Indian status, that is registered under the Indian Act of Canada, and/or those who reported membership in a First Nation or Indian band. Aboriginal peoples of Canada are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, Section 35 (2) as including the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.

'Person' refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programmes.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Aboriginal group
• Aboriginal group response

'Aboriginal group' refers to whether the person reported being an Aboriginal person of Canada, that is, First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit). Aboriginal peoples of Canada are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, Section 35 (2) as including the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. A person may report being in more than one of these three specific groups.

Information on Aboriginal group may be supplied by someone other than the person himself or herself. For example, a parent may provide answers regarding his or her child.

'Person' refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programmes.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Aboriginal ancestry
• Aboriginal ancestry response
• Variant for analysis of single Aboriginal ancestry

'Aboriginal ancestry' refers to whether a person reported ancestry associated with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Aboriginal peoples of Canada are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, Section 35 (2) as including the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. Ancestry refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the respondent's ancestors, an ancestor being usually more distant than a grandparent. A person can have more than one ethnic or cultural origin.

'Person' refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programmes.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Calendar year

'Year of immigration' refers to the year in which the immigrant first obtained his or her landed immigrant/permanent resident status. A landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live permanently in Canada by immigration authorities.

Note: In the 2011 National Household Survey, ‘Year of immigration’ is referred to as ‘Period of immigration’ when data are shown aggregated by periods of more than one year.

'Immigrant' refers to a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. A landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants are either Canadian citizens by naturalization (the citizenship process) or permanent residents (landed immigrants) under Canadian legislation. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• 'Age' is expressed in individual years of age ranging from 0 (less than one year) to the maximum number on the file.
• Age categories by five-year age groups

'Age at immigration' refers to the age at which the immigrant first obtained landed immigrant/permanent resident status. A landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live permanently in Canada by immigration authorities.

'Immigrant' refers to a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. A landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants are either Canadian citizens by naturalization (the citizenship process) or permanent residents (landed immigrants) under Canadian legislation. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2007
• Variant: Labour Force Survey (LFS) Industries

'Industry' refers to a generally homogeneous group of economic producing units, primarily engaged in a specific set of activities. An activity is a particular method of combining goods and services inputs, labour and capital to produce one or more goods and/or services (products). In most cases, the activities that define an industry are homogeneous with respect to the production processes used.

Note: Though industry applies to establishments, a person can be assigned an industry classification based on the establishment where he or she is currently employed or where he or she has been employed in the past. Industry can be assigned based on the establishment associated with the person's main job or some other job. However, for industry to be collected through a survey, the person must be associated with an establishment.

'Employed person' refers to a person who, during the reference period: (a) did any work at all at a job or business, that is, paid work in the context of an employer-employee relationship, or self-employment. It also includes persons who did unpaid family work, which is defined as unpaid work contributing directly to the operation of a farm, business or professional practice owned and operated by a related member of the same household; or (b) had a job but were not at work due to factors such as their own illness or disability, personal or family responsibilities, vacation or a labour dispute. This category excludes persons not at work because they were on layoff or between casual jobs, and those who did not then have a job (even if they had a job to start at a future date).

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011
• Variant of NOC for highly aggregated data
• Variant for analysis by NOC skill level
• National Occupational Classification for Statistics (NOC-S) 2006

'Occupation' refers to the kind of work performed in a job, a job being all the tasks carried out by a particular worker to complete his or her duties. An occupation is a set of jobs that are sufficiently similar in work performed.

Kind of work is described in terms of tasks, duties and responsibilities, often including factors such as materials processed or used, the industrial processes used, the equipment used, and the products or services provided. Occupations are generally homogeneous with respect to skill type and skill level.

Occupation applies to the contribution of labour to that part of economic activity that is within the production boundary defined for the System of National Accounts.

Note: Though "occupation" applies to jobs, a person can be assigned an occupation classification based on the occupation of a job that he or she currently performs or that he or she performed in the past. Occupation can apply to a person's main job or other jobs. However, for occupation to be collected through a survey, a person must be associated with a job.

'Employed person' refers to a person who, during the reference period: (a) did any work at all at a job or business, that is, paid work in the context of an employer-employee relationship, or self-employment. It also includes persons who did unpaid family work, which is defined as unpaid work contributing directly to the operation of a farm, business or professional practice owned and operated by a related member of the same household; or (b) had a job but were not at work due to factors such as their own illness or disability, personal or family responsibilities, vacation or a labour dispute. This category excludes persons not at work because they were on layoff or between casual jobs, and those who did not then have a job (even if they had a job to start at a future date).

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Labour Force Status - Collapsed classification

'Labour force status' refers to whether a person was employed, unemployed or not in the labour force during the reference period. The labour force consists of persons who contribute or are available to contribute to the production of goods and services falling within the System of National Accounts production boundary.

Note: Labour force status is used to describe the currently active population and to produce measures of employment and unemployment based on current economic activity. Because the intention is to determine if a person is employed or unemployed at a specific moment in time, a relatively short reference period such as a week is used. Information on labour force status is typically collected for persons 15 years or over and excludes institutional residents. The population included in the study should be specified.

'Person' refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programmes.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):

• Visible minority

'Visible minority' refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: Chinese, South Asian, Black, Arab, West Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Latin American, Japanese and Korean.

'Person' refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programmes.