It will be interesting to see what reasons the Conservatives offer for killing the long-form census when the Industry, Science and Technology Committee reconvenes in the near future, given every argument trotted out to date for the decision has little or no basis in fact.
The Conservatives decided last month without warning to eliminate the long-form of the census that happens every five years in Canada. The long form, which can total as many as 40 pages, provides a deeper look at Canada and Canadians, asking about religion, living arrangements, ethnicity and levels of education and dozens of other factors. The collated data is then analyzed and distributed to government to help craft policies that will best suit Canadians at that time.
Anyone who receives a long form, like anyone who receives any census form, long or short, is legally obligated to fill it out and return it. It is this element, along with some misplaced concern about invading Canadians’ privacy that the Conservatives say led to their decisions. If they are to be believed, Conservative members of Parliament have received hundreds of thousands of complaints about the long form and the detail it requires. Yet in 15 years, the privacy commissioner has received exactly three complaints, none of which were actually upheld.
The Conservatives further argue the standard census form, along with a new voluntary long form, will provide just as accurate a snapshot of the country as the mandatory long form, even if it means spending $30 million more because more voluntary forms will have to be filled out to achieve the same reply percentage the mandatory long form generates. Yet every single agency and business with a vested interest in census numbers, including the former head of Statistics Canada, disputes this claim. From economists to statisticians to bureaucrats, no one believes the information contained in the standard form will provide enough detail. And the prevailing consensus is, a voluntary form will lead to inaccurate information as only certain individuals will bother responding, leading to a discrepancy between what the respondents say and what Canada actually is.
What the Conservatives seem to be ignoring is the value of the information Statistics Canada and the government receives. From migration to workers to income to ethnicity, the census gives government direction and a tool to develop sensible policy that can target certain elements of our country that might be disadvantaged. If we were a libertarian state, this wouldn’t matter because we simply wouldn’t care about anything but our own livelihoods. But Canada is inclusive and Canadians want to help one another. The best way to do that is to know who needs help and create sound policy that will give disadvantaged groups the opportunity to succeed.
The Conservatives can invoke Pierre Trudeau’s infamous “bedrooms” quote all they want, but this is not about invading privacy. This is about having an accurate picture of the country on which the foundation for good and sensible decisions can be made. It measures the overall health of the state, something our government should be willing to care for.
