Classification of population group

Usage

Users requiring information on the visible minority population to support the implementation of the Employment Equity Act should use the visible minority variable rather than the population group variable. In contrast to the visible minority variable, the population group variable provides data which more closely match the response(s) provided by respondents. For example, in accordance with the Employment Equity Act and its Regulations and Guidelines, a multiple response of 'White' and 'Black' would be included in the 'Black' category in the visible minority variable, but included in the 'White and Black' category in the population group variable.

When disseminating data on population group of person, if the full classification of the population group variable cannot be used due to small numbers in particular categories, the classification can be modified by collapsing those categories that are too small to report separately into a residual category, 'Other population groups'. In this case, all remaining categories should be derived in the manner in which they are listed in the classification, with no other collapsing, in order for data to be comparable to other sources.