The following table provides a detailed chronology of the various baskets implemented from the inception of the CPI in 1913 until the 2023 basket. It includes the basket reference period; the first month published with the new basket; the last month of use of the basket; any major revisions made at the time of the basket update; changes to the target population and/or geographical coverage; the introduction of new products into the basket or sample; as well as notable changes that were made to the classifications, scope or methodologies.
| Basket Reference YearFootnote 1 | Basket start monthFootnote 2 | Basket end monthFootnote 3 | Revisions at basket update | Target population/geographical coverage | New products introduced | Other notable changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | May 2024 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Some existing elementary aggregates are now basic aggregates to provide more granular data. Previously classified as elementary aggregates in the fresh or frozen beef category, the following indexes are now published as basic aggregates under the same category: fresh or frozen beef hip cuts, fresh or frozen beef loin cuts, fresh or frozen rib cuts, fresh or frozen beef chuck cuts, fresh stewing beef, fresh or frozen ground beef and other fresh or frozen beef. Similarly, the following indexes are now published as basic aggregates under fresh or frozen pork: fresh or frozen pork loin cuts, fresh or frozen pork shoulder cuts and other fresh or frozen pork. Previously these indexes existed in the fresh or frozen pork index as elementary aggregates and were not published. To publish at the same level of detail as beef and pork products, new basic aggregates were created and are now published under the fresh or frozen chicken category. These include fresh or frozen chicken breasts, fresh or frozen chicken thighs, fresh or frozen chicken drumsticks, fresh or frozen whole chicken and other fresh or frozen chicken. Previously, prices for these products were collected but were grouped together under the same category. As the service became available in more locations, geographic coverage of ridesharing increased in the CPI, with basket weights added in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Various elementary aggregates under the audio equipment index were streamlined to reduce unnecessary detail at the lowest levels of aggregation, with no changes to the goods and services priced under this series. Expenditures for these elementary aggregates are still included and are now labelled portable audio equipment and non portable audio equipment. |
| 2022 | May 2023 | Apr. 2024 | N/A | N/A | Introduction of charcoal barbecues and snow removal equipment. |
Some existing elementary aggregates are now basic aggregates to provide more granular data. Previously classified in the other fresh fruit category, citrus (excluding oranges), grapes, and berries (including cherries) are now published under fresh fruit. Similarly, carrots, onions, peppers, cucumber and mushrooms are now published separately under fresh vegetables. Previously these products were included in the other fresh vegetables index. Telephone equipment, which included land lines, was removed from the list of basic aggregates due to a small basket share. |
| 2021 | May 2022 | Apr. 2023 | N/A | N/A | Introduction of prices for the purchase of used passenger vehicles. | Implement methodology for two new product classes (purchase of new passenger vehicles, purchase of used passenger vehicles). Incorporate timely alternate data including various Statistics Canada and external data sources. Introduction of separate published classes for purchase of new passenger vehicles and purchase of used passenger vehicles. |
| 2020 | Jun. 2021 | Apr. 2022 | N/A | N/A | Introduction of prices and weights for shipping fees, local delivery fees, digital subscription services to magazines and video gaming consoles. | Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) and related System of National Accounts (SNA) data for reference year 2020 are incorporated, together with Survey of Household Spending (SHS) 2019, and timely alternative data including various Statistics Canada data. Four new elementary product classes are introduced for shipping fees, local delivery fees, digital subscription services to magazines and video gaming consoles. |
| 2017 | Jan. 2019 | May 2021 | N/A | N/A | Introduction of therapeutic and recreational cannabis, audio streaming services, platform-based taxi services, platform-based short-term accommodation services, commuter train fares and some food products. | Two new elementary aggregates created for the introduction of therapeutic cannabis and recreational cannabis. |
| 2015 | Jan. 2017 | Dec. 2018 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Further obsolete consumer electronics and services such as video rentals removed from basic classes. Luxury passenger vehicles added as a separate elementary aggregate. First update of the food weights for the Northern Territories from the redesigned Survey of Household Spending (SHS-R). |
| 2013 | Jan. 2015 | Dec. 2016 | N/A | N/A | Additional fruits and vegetables added to list of elementary aggregates. On-line video subscriptions included with satellite and cable video subscriptions. | Certain obsolete products such as 35mm film removed from list of elementary aggregates. Clothing elementary aggregates below the basic class level are reorganised to better represent the current clothing market. |
| 2011 | Feb. 2013 | Dec. 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | The first basket update using the SHS-R. The first biennial basket update. |
| 2009 | May 2011 | Jan. 2013 | N/A | N/A | Several new product classes were added to the CPI basket including smartphones, tablet PCs, funeral services, retail club memberships, government services (e.g. passport fees). | N/A |
| 2005 | May. 2007 | Apr. 2011 | N/A | N/A | Medical services not covered by provincial health care systems were introduced into the basket. | N/A |
| 2001 | Jan. 2003 | Apr. 2007 | N/A | An index for Iqaluit, the capital city of the newly created Territory of Nunavut, was calculated from December 2002 onwards with December 2002 as the time base. | Internet access services and financial services were both added to the CPI basket as new product classes. | The first CPI basket to be based on the SHS rather than on the FAMEX. The CPI classification for clothing was collapsed into women's clothing, men's clothing and children's clothing, since the SHS did not have the more detailed breakdown previously available in FAMEX. |
| 1996 | Jan. 1998 | Dec. 2002 | N/A | Target population was expanded to include all private households in Canada. The condition of population equal to or greater than 30,000 was dropped. | N/A | No adjustment was made to the basket weight for alcohol. |
| 1992 | Jan. 1995 | Dec. 1997 | N/A | Target population was expanded to include expenditures made by residents of smaller cities, towns and rural communities. Also added were expenditures made by households that existed for only part of the basket reference year 1992 (such as college students living separately during the school year). | N/A | The introduction of the 1992 basket was postponed by two years to ensure it would reflect adjustments to consumption patterns resulting from the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the removal of the Federal Sales tax in January 1991. The "housing" component from the 1986 basket was split into two major components: "shelter" and "household operations, furnishings and equipment". This brought the number of major components to a total of eight. Also, the definition of "shelter" was changed. The traveller accommodation category, which was part of the 1986 definition of "shelter", was moved to "recreation" with the introduction of the 1992 basket. To provide some continuity certain aggregates were reconstructed using their 1986 basket definitions. |
| 1986 | Jan. 1989 | Dec. 1994 | N/A | Eighty-two urban centres were grouped into 34 strata. | N/A | N/A |
| 1982 | Jan. 1985 | Dec. 1988 | N/A | Whitehorse and Yellowknife were incorporated into the calculation of the All-items CPI. | N/A | A standard classification of goods and services (the Consumer Classification System) was introduced. |
| 1978 | Apr. 1982 | Dec. 1984 | N/A | The general target population remained the same as in the previous basket. Indices for two northern cities, Whitehorse and Yellowknife, were calculated for the first time. Sixty-four urban centres were grouped into 31 strata, using geographical proximity and urban centre size as major criteria of this stratification. |
N/A | N/A |
| 1974 | Oct. 1978 | Mar. 1982 | Previously published city indices were revised to reflect an expanded shelter component. | Canadian families and unattached individuals living in private households in urban centres with populations of 30,000 and over. This was the first time that family size and household income were not determinants of the target population. | N/A | A policy of regular basket updates was established, with the updates tied to a four-year cycle of the FAMEX. National indices were calculated as weighted averages of the corresponding indices for 59 urban centres. The New Housing Price Index (NHPI) replaced the Residential Building Construction Input Price Index in the CPI series measuring homeowners' replacement cost, mortgage interest cost and insurance for owned accommodation. |
| 1967 (with 1969 food basket) |
May 1973 | Sep. 1978 | "No revision" policy. | All Canadian families living in urban centres with metropolitan populations exceeding 30,000, ranging in size from two to six persons, consisting of any combination of adults or adults and children, and with annual incomes during the basket reference period ranging from $4,000 to $12,000. | Forty-four new products were added to the basket. Examples include: parking, stereos, cameras, hotels/motels, tuition fees and alcohol consumed in licensed premises. Twenty-four products were removed from the basket. Examples include: lard, coal, wool blanket, knitting yarn, doctors' services, prepaid medical care. | A supplementary product classification was created in order to calculate separate indices for goods and services. This marked the return to annual weights for food, replacing the seasonal food weights used in the CPI since 1949. |
| 1957 | Jan. 1961 | Apr. 1973 | This was the first basket in which the official CPI values previously released were not revised and a "no revision" policy was adopted for the CPI. Index values under the new 1957 basket were calculated back to January 1957 for comparison purposes only. | Same as previous basket. | Forty-three new products were added to the basket. Examples include: frozen foods, air travel and the purchase and repair of television sets. Twelve products were removed from the basket. Examples include: canned strawberries, ice, brooms, hospital rates, radio licenses. | N/A |
| 1947-1948 (Sept 1947 - Aug 1948) | Jan. 1949 | Dec. 1960 | Index values were revised back to the basket link month, January 1949, when the basket was introduced in August 1952. | All Canadian families living in 27 Canadian cities with a population over 30,000, ranging in size from two adults to two adults with four children, and with annual incomes during the basket reference period ranging from $1,650 to $4,050. | Owned accommodation was introduced into the CPI. | The name of the index was changed from "Cost-of-living index" to "Consumer Price Index (CPI)". Seasonal baskets were used for food. |
| 1937 - 1938 | Sep. 1940 | Dec. 1948 | N/A | Urban wage-earner families with annual incomes during the basket reference period between $450 and $2,500. | N/A | N/A |
| 1926 | Jan. 1928 | Aug. 1940 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1913 | Jan. 1914 | Dec. 1927 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Annual indices were available from 1913. January 1914 marked the introduction of continuous monthly indices. |
Source: Statistics Canada, Consumer Prices Division. |
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