Does a quintessential Canadian exist?

OTTAWA – If the reams of statistics released from the 2011 census and its controversial new cousin, the National Household Survey, teach us anything, it’s that there is no such thing as the quintessential Canadian.

Now that Statistics Canada has published almost all of its findings, Canadians know their country is aging. But they also know the West holds a new allure, and that Canada is becoming increasingly urban, multi-racial, and well-educated.

We often don’t have any children living at home – either because we didn’t have any to begin with or because they’ve grown up and moved away. Younger parents, however, have been bucking the trends and fostering a surprise mini-baby boom of their own.

“We’re very diverse and our diversity is growing even more as time goes by,” said Marc Hamel, census chief for Statistics Canada.

More often than not, Canadians work in services industries. Women are gaining dominance in many new areas of education. And same-sex couples have become an accepted norm.

On Wednesday, the agency will release the final piece of the demographics puzzle: income. From there, it will become clear whether our rich heritage translates into actual riches – whether Canada’s widespread diversity also means widespread prosperity.

The third and final instalment of the National Household Survey will illustrate how many Canadians live...(CLICK HERE to read the full article at Globalnews.ca)