For most countries census data collection and its control has been largely a decentralized paper based operation. Enumerators listed dwellings and conducted interviews or dropped off questionnaires. They tracked response and did follow-up using their lists for control. However over the last couple of decades some national statistical offices (NSOs) have developed address registers to facilitate mailout methodologies. Furthermore, there has been rapid improvement in the availability, security, acceptance and use of Internet technologies by both NSOs and citizens. These factors have facilitated the introduction of multimodal census data collection methods that better address preferred response modes of different population groups.
This paper reviews the collection methodology of recent Canadian Censuses and discusses some of the lessons learned. It presents an overview of the 2011 Census data collection methodology and briefly describes the major strategies being taken for its control and management.

Paper presented at the 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), Durban (South Africa), August 2009.