Vital Records In Canada

Main contributor: Ellen Thompson-Jennings

Vital statistics (birth, marriage, and death records) for Canada are collected and maintained through a cooperative system between the Federal Government of Canada and each of the provinces and territories.^[1]

Provincial and Territorial Vital Statistics Acts mandate the registration of all births, stillbirths, deaths, marriages, and divorces within their jurisdictions. The central registries in each province/territory provide this data to Statistics Canada annually. Current records can be accesses and order through the central registries. These documents are restricted to certain family members.

Vital records are crucial to your genealogy research. They are a primary source of information, and they provide direct evidence of significant life events. These records contain details that help verify family relationships as well as provide critical dates and locations. Beside the basic details, vital records often contain additional information such as occupations, residences, and cause of death. This additional information can provide us with insight into our ancestor's life. These records can be used to cross-reference information found in other records such as census records, military records, and wills to ensure the accuracy of our research.

Below are the three types of vital records and the information they typically have:

Births, data collected may include date/place of birth, child's details, parents' details, and type of birth.
Marriage information may include name, age, place of residence and birth, marital status (bachelor/ widower, spinster / widow), occupation, father's name and occupation and may include mother's maiden name, and the family's religious denomination.
Death records may include age, sex, marital status, place of residence, birthplace of the deceased, date of death, cause of death, informant. Some may also include name of parents.

After a period of time (this timeframe differs between each province) the provinces transfer the historical vital statistics to their provincial archives. The public can then obtain copies of these documents without being next of kin.