The enumeration for the 1931 Census of Canada began on June 1, 1931. As noted in the Administrative Report on the Seventh Census of Canada the 1931 Census was conducted during “economic conditions within the Dominion, as elsewhere, [that] have been marked by violent fluctuations.”
In response to the Great Depression, government officials added questions “chiefly for the purpose of throwing additional light on the causes of unemployment.” The enumerator was instructed to discover the reason why an individual was unemployed and the number of weeks they had been out of work. Of course, the reality that many people, mostly men, were roaming the country looking for employment added to the challenge of accurately recording the population. For those people who were employed, their earnings were recorded and can be…
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British Columbia History (Digital) - 1 Issue, 57.1 Spring 2024