The Census - the Long Form - All Citizens Count

Good information is the basis for good decisions and good government. Sadly, the current Conservative Government in Canada does not think this way. They want to end the mandatory long form in the Canadian census. Making it voluntary makes no sense. It will cost more (current estimates about $30 million more). It will produce data which are not accurate.

This morning I joined a group organized by Anita Neville to discuss this situation. Many people and groups across Canada are calling for a reinstatement of the long form. It needs to happen. The information gathered through the census is vital for municipalities, for provinces, for the federal government and for citizens and for citizens groups.

Several who were present commented on the importance of the accurate data provided by the long form of the census - for services to those with disabilities, for the provision of services by municipalities, and for planning by church groups, as well as in the provinsion of services by provinces and the federal government.

Not having the data provided by the long form of the census will make it very difficult to achieve best practices and to do benchmarking to look at the results of programs or the actions of governments.

Not having the accurate data provided by the long form of the census will add significant costs to municipalities, to provinces, to many orgnizations and to many businesses. Interestingly, one person commented that when an entrepreneur came to the government for assistance, one of the items he was asked to provide was information readily available through Statistics Canada. Without the long form of the census, obtaining this information would have been much more costly. Indeed, one of the responsibilities of the federal government should be good information on what is happening in Canada. By having the long form of the census and by having (up to this point), one of the best national statistics gathering organizations in the world, Statistics Canada has been a boon to all Canadians. The decision to stop using the mandatory long form of the census needs to be reversed.

The accountability of the federal, provincial and muncipal governments, and the accountabilityof many organizations in our society depends on good data provided by the long form of the census.

All citizens count. If the long form were not mandatory, many who are now counted would not be counted. Canada is a great country because we as Canadians care about all our citizens.