Nearly five million Canadians are being asked to participate in the National Household Survey.
The information collected is vital to communities for planning services, such as child care, schooling, family services, housing, roads and public transportation and skills training for employment.
Households can fill in the easy and secure NHS questionnaire online by using their secure access code, or they can complete a paper questionnaire.
Yellow packages, containing a questionnaire, information on how to complete the NHS and the secure access code are being delivered to each of the 4.5 million selected households.
Respondents who need more information can call the Help Line at 1-877-308-2777. TTY users may call 1-866-753-7083.
The NHS includes questions on citizenship and immigration, ethnic origin, Aboriginal identity, language of work, education, labour market activity, child care and support payments, income and housing as well as a question asking for consent to release the personal information collected to Library and Archives Canada after 92 years.
Statistics Canada strongly encourages selected households to complete the NHS so communities will have the information they need to make decisions.
For more information, log onto http://www42.statcan.gc.ca/smr09/smr09_031-eng.htm.