A Reader Asks where the Canadian census images on Ancestry come from

David asked about Ancestry Canadian Census Images

I wonder if I might ask whether the noted images are on Ancestry's site or on that of the Government of Canada?

Hi David - That's a good question. If you go to
Ancestry.com and click on each census year (1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1916) you will find information about each set of records. It is under the specific census search box and is titled "Source Information"

For example under the 1871 Census Canada, the information is given as "Images reproduced by courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada"

1851 and 1861 census says "Data imaged from Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada" That sounds to me like the images are pulled directly from LAC (Library & Archives Canada) website.

1881 census says "Images reproduced by courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada."

So it appears from the statements above that some census years may be housed on Ancestry's serve with permission of LAC and that others are pulled directly from LAC's server. However -- a visit to Ancestry.ca and their information on the Canadian Census database states "Original images of the Canadian censuses are held at LAC." This statement seems to indicate that all the images are on LAC's server and displayed on Ancestry with LAC's permission.

It's an intriguing question but I think the only way to get a defiinitive answer is to write to Ancestry.com and ask them