A Census Metropolitan Area is an urban region identified by Statistics Canada as having a population of more than 100,000 people. The Employment Equity Act identifies eight designated CMAs. They are: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax.

The term used by Statistics Canada to denote the main labour market area of an urbanized core having 100,000 or more population.

A large urban area (known as urban core) together with adjacent urban and rural areas that have a high degree of social and economic integration with the urban core. A CMA has an urban core population of at least 100,000 based on the previous census.

The census metropolitan area or CMA is a very large urban area together with adjacent urban as well as rural areas having a high degree of social and economic integration. This functional area is usually delineated around a central urban area (the urbanised core) having a population of at least 100 000 people.

A very large urban area with adjacent urban and rural areas which have a high degree of economic and social integration with that urban area.

Geographical area, defined by Statistics Canada, with a population in excess of 100,000.