Census family is defined as a married couple and the children, if any, of either and/or both spouses; a couple living common law and the children, if any, of either and/or both partners; or a lone parent of any marital status with at least one child living in the same dwelling and that child or those children. All members of a particular census family live in the same dwelling.
A couple may be of opposite or same sex. Children may be children by birth, marriage, common-law union or adoption regardless of their age or marital status as long as they live in the dwelling and do not have their own married spouse, common-law partner or child living in the dwelling. Grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present also constitute a census family.
1. Statistics Canada. Dictionary, Census of Population, Census Family 2016 [Internet] Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada; 2016 [updated 2017 May 3; cited 2018 Nov 30]. Available from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/fam004-eng.cfm