Long-form Canadian census in 2011 to become voluntary

Changes to the national census in 2011 have some statisticians worried about the validity and integrity of the data that will be collected. In the past, a long-form census was distributed to one in five households and completion was mandatory. In 2011, the government will retain the mandatory short form that collects basic demographic information, but the long-form will be replaced by a voluntary National Household Survey.

Tony Clement, the Minister of Industry, stated on July 13, 2010 that the government has received complaints about the long-form census from citizens who felt it invaded their privacy. "The government does not believe it is appropriate to force Canadians to divulge detailed personal information under threat of prosecution," said the Minister. "To promote data accuracy, this voluntary survey will be sent to a larger cross-section of households than the old long-form census."

Former top officials from Statistics Canada are speaking out against this move, stating that a voluntary survey is likely to result in seriously biased data. Ivan Fellegi, Stats Canada's Chief Statistician until he retired in 2008, says that a voluntary survey could seriously bias the census data and that increasing the sample size will not compensate for the bias. Fellegi is worried that aboriginal groups, new immigrants, those with low income or education, or the very wealthy will be less likely to complete a voluntary survey, resulting in biased data.

Some of the groups expressing concern about the change include the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Statistical Society of Canada, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Municipalities in particular are concerned as they rely heavily on census data to make decisions about community needs such as bus routes, locations for affordable housing and programming for new Canadians.