275. Region of Waterloo
and 337. Waterloo, Region of

Citizens have to pay taxes, not idle in their cars in the summer heat, send their kids to school, present a health card when they go to the hospital, or need a license to do a whole host of things. It is a fair trade in a democratic society, or else, we have no money to manage the nation, we get more carbon in the air that affects respiratory health, kids will not get the tools they and we need to be good and informed citizens, any one can just travel to Canada to use the health care system, or well, the roads would be crazy if we let unlicensed drivers on the road. We live in a collective, and to better direct and strategically spend, we need good data, a mandatory census ensures good data. Those on the list understand that citizenship in a democracy has tradeoffs, and the mandatory long form census is one of them.

Statistics Canada, when they do their follow-up on the census, are pretty great at informing people why they are asking those questions and how they use the data. For the single parent, it means understanding time limitations, the need for childcare, perhaps income supplements, social and recreational programs at a fair price in her neighbourhood. Information helps make decisions on a variety of things that improve our lives. A few minutes of annoyance is worth the return.

Hence this debate, because the existence of people who don’t answer the census questions, or answer them incorrectly, or write “object to question” for the reply poses an inconvenient truth for the group (“us Canadians”).
In fact, if you look at census data from all countries, including Canada, there are a significant number of respondents who mark some answers as “object to question”. Many others answer some questions in obviously incorrect ways which are understood but are not counted (eg. marking Jedi as their religion). It’s not easily known how many people purposely answer incorrectly and have these incorrect answers erroneously counted as accurate by Statistics Canada. Statistical agencies around the world don’t like to talk about this problem, because it skews the data and puts the validity of all their work at risk.
Now that the issue has been politicized, we even have some people who are “for” the mandatory census saying that people who object to the questions don’t really exist. I’d be careful with that line of thought.
Everyone knows the census provides valuable data. No one is saying the data is not. You won’t win the argument by listing the hundreds of groups and organizations who want and need this data, unless you deal with why coercion of individuals to get this data is acceptable in this case.

Is the following acceptable?

Single Mother: “I feel uncomfortable with you and your questions. Please stop contacting me and leave me alone. I feel you are harassing me and I’m asking you to please stop. I know my rights.”

StatsCan worker: “We don’t care how you feel, you must answer our questions about your life. I am doing nothing wrong, this is my job. You are the one breaking the law and we can fine you or put you in jail for your behaviour. We will keep contacting you. We will keep coming by your home. We have your name and we have taken a description of you. We want much more information than you have provided and you are being uncooperative. There is nothing you can do about this. You are wrong and you do not have any rights in this situation.” (Truth for the statscan worker who has a quota to reach, and is dealing with uncooperative, unhelpful, anti-government people who are purposely not answering these mandatory census questions properly.)

The standard in the western world for data collection from individuals is informed consent, (with the one and only exception of the mandatory census). Maybe it’s time to look at this issue and have a real debate about the issues.

This really long list of the people and groups who use and need this data and support the mandatory census is also a list of people who are for coercion and don’t believe in informed consent.