Counting people and collecting information about a country's population is not a new idea. In ancient times, the Egyptians used this type of information to help them build the pyramids and to give out land following the annual flooding of the Nile. The Romans also had regular Censuses. In the nativity story, Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to take part in the Census ordered by Caesar Augustus which required every man in the Roman Empire to return to his birthplace and be counted.

			In more recent times, other countries have attempted to carry out a Census of their population. La Nouvelle France (Quebec) and Acadie (Nova Scotia) carried out sixteen surveys between 1665 and 1754. There were also Censuses in the eighteenth century in Sweden, Denmark, Austria and various Italian states. Back to top