The purpose of the Canadian Legal Problems Survey is to identify the kinds of serious problems people face, how they attempt to resolve them, and how these experiences may impact their lives. The information collected will be used to better understand the various methods people use to resolve problems - not just formal systems such as courts and tribunals, but also informal channels such as self-help strategies.
Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
Collection period:
Collection methods:
Survey participation:
Confidentiality
Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.
Data sharing agreements and record linkage
To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada will combine the information you provide with information from immigration data.
Topics covered in the survey
The survey asks questions about:
- crime and justice
- justice issues.
Published data
Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.
Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.
Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.
Survey-specific questions
- Who is conducting this survey?
- Am I obligated to take part in the survey?
- Someone else in my household is interested to participate in the survey. I am not. Can they do it instead of me?
- How will the survey benefit me (and other Canadians)?
- Is my information confidential?
- When will survey results be available?
- Why do you ask about Age / Sexual orientation / Gender / Race / Income, etc.?
Who is conducting this survey?
The Canadian Legal Problems survey is being conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of the Department of Justice Canada. The questionnaire content was developed in collaboration by both departments.
Am I obligated to take part in the survey?
Your participation is voluntary. You have been randomly selected for the survey. Your participation is very important because it ensures that individuals with your characteristics and experiences are represented, so that the results of the survey accurately represent the Canadian population as a whole.
We want to hear from you whether or not you have experienced a serious dispute or problem.
Someone else in my household is interested to participate in the survey. I am not. Can they do it instead of me?
To select survey participants, Statistics Canada uses a statistical method called sampling. It is an established way to determine characteristics of an entire population with the answers from a randomly chosen sample.
For statistical reasons, we cannot select someone else to replace you. Your co-operation is important to ensure that the survey results are accurate and comprehensive.
How will the survey benefit me (and other Canadians)?
Your participation in this survey will provide important data that will be used to understand your experiences and to develop programs, tools and policies that will help you and others resolve serious problems that might occur in everyday life. You or other people you care about, could benefit from such programs.
Is my information confidential?
Yes. Statistics Canada takes measures to ensure that all information you give us remains strictly confidential:
All employees of Statistics Canada are under oath and liable to prosecution and/or severe penalties if they do not safeguard the information they collect.
Precautions are taken during the collection and processing of information. (For example, passwords are used to ensure only authorized individuals can collect or process your information, information is collected and processed on a secure network.)
Responses are combined with those of other respondents. The results are produced in a summary format such as graphs, charts and statistical tables. No information is produced that will identify an individual.
When will survey results be available?
The current plan is to release the survey results in early 2022.
Why do you ask about Age / Sexual orientation / Gender / Race / Income, etc.?
The sociodemographic data that we are collecting is important and necessary to better understand the social determinants of justice. Some research has noted that there are certain characteristics that influence justice outcomes (income, age, education, race, geography). For example, we know that characteristics such as sexual orientation or gender identity can lead to marginalization, discrimination and harassment, but we lack national data on this.