A portrait of seniors in Canada, 2006 : Portrait des aînés au Canada, 2006

Specifically, the goal of this report is to draw an up-to-date portrait of the general well-being of seniors, in absolute terms, in comparison with previous cohorts of seniors and in comparison with persons of younger ages.1 Several challenges associated with portraying the general well-being of seniors should be noted. [...] Between 1981 and 2005, the number of seniors in Canada increased from 2.4 to 4.2 million and their share of the total population increased from 9.6% to 13.1%. [...] In contrast, the share of the population comprised of seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador is projected to increase from 13.1% to 26.6% - an increase of 13.4 percentage points. [...] Overall, across the ten provinces, the share of the population comprised of seniors will increase least in Ontario and the West and most in the Atlantic provinces. [...] Between 1981 and 2005, there was a small shift in the distribution of the total population and in the population of seniors across the provinces and territories.