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Census figures paint statistical portrait of Canadian military members, veterans

Jul 13, 2022 | 7:08 AM

OTTAWA — New data from the latest census reveals there were 97,625 Canadians serving in the military last year and another 461,240 former members.

The figures released today by Statistics Canada are primarily intended to fill gaps in the existing data about the country’s military veterans.

The agency says there was a lack of comprehensive data on veterans to ensure proper allocation of money by the federal government for former members, their families and other program recipients.

Statistics Canada has worked in recent years with federal agencies and others to paint a fuller picture of veterans, looking at their overall health and well-being.

However, the scope has frequently been limited to contemporary veterans who were released from military service after 1998.

The statistical agency hopes the new figures will provide much-needed information about veterans who served in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the Korean War and the Second World War.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2022.

The Canadian Press