Censuses were planned for 1851 for the then separate colonies of Canada: Province of Canada (current day Ontario and Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The census of the province of Canada was delayed until early 1852 so it is variously referred to as the 1851 or 1852 Census.

Indexing of the 1852 census was started in August 2007 and it is over 1/3 done.

Indexing of the 1851 Census of New Brunswick was started in June 2007 and complete and proofreading has started.

Indexing of the 1851 Census of Nova Scotia, which is a head-of-household-only census, has not yet begun.