Sources of Data for Benchmarking Self-Identification Results

There are several sources of data on the representation of various groups to use as benchmarks for self-identification results, including: 

• Highlights from Osgoode Hall’s 2014 Annual Entering Class Survey
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s Employment Equity Data Report. This report is published every five years based on census data collected by Statistics Canada. It provides information on the occupational and educational characteristics of the four employment equity designated groups – women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, and persons with disabilities – by specific geographical area. While the report does not include specific data on the legal profession, it is helpful in identifying the workforce availability of the four designated groups in each census metropolitan area and can be used to assess the representativeness of the general staff population.   
• Statistics Canada 2006 census data on specific occupations. This table presents selected demographic, cultural, labour force, educational, and income characteristics for specific occupations. Lawyers and Quebec notaries are one of the occupations that can be selected (under National Occupational Classification E012). Data can also be accessed for specific geographic regions.   
• The law societies also provide some benchmarks. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada provides some general statistics on membership. Provincial data is available from:
  • British Columbia: The Law Society of British Columbia’s annual report provides statistics by age and gender.
  • Alberta: The Law Society of Alberta has provided statistical information on its members (2012).
  • Ontario: The Law Society of Upper Canada web site provides a statistical snapshot of lawyers in Ontario (2013), including gender breakdown of new admissions. It also provides report on “Racialization and Gender of Lawyers in Ontario" (Ornstein, 2010) which provides more fine-grained analysis of the census data for Ontario.
  • Saskatchewan: The Law Society of Saskatchewan’s Annual Report provides statistics by age and gender.
  • Manitoba: The Law Society of Manitoba’s Annual Report provides statistics by year at the bar and gender.
  • Quebec: Barreau du Québec provides statistics on its members.
  • Nova Scotia: The Nova Scotia Barristers Society provides a yearly statistical snapshot of lawyers in that jurisdiction.
• Catalyst Canada, a non-profit membership organization working to build inclusive workplaces, has produced a recent report on “Women in Law in Canada and the US”, which provides some data on gender representation.