If they haven’t received their census forms already, millions of Canadians will be getting them soon – whether it’s through the mail or hand-delivered.
The census began on May 2 and the process may be a bit confusing given recent changes to the national tally.
The mandatory long-form census replaces the previous voluntary household survey introduced by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. Then the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau brought back the long-form census as part of an election promise.
Folks can set themselves up for success by learning some information about the process prior to diving into filling out their census forms.
First of all the census is mandatory, so people must complete their census questionnaire, either online or through the mail.
Refusing to complete the census is against the law. Those who fail to provide information or give false answers can face fines of up to $500, up to three months in jail, or both.
There are two types of census questionnaires.
Three out of four Canadians will receive a short-form census with 10 questions, while one out of four will receive a long-form census with 60 questions.
The short-form census provides basic household information, such as address, marital status and number of children.
The long-form census delves a little deeper into subjects, such as citizenship and immigration status, ethnic background, birthplace of parents, education, income, housing, child care and other support payments, and employment status.
The census measures more than just the number of people in Canada and where they live.
Data collected from the census will be used to help make life easier for people and the communities where they live.
In the South Cariboo, for example, things like transportation, education, health, seniors, municipal infrastructure and retirement concerns can all be addressed using information from the census.
Everything we report is kept confidential and is protected by law.
Our identities get separated from our information and is never attached to it again.
Folks need to note the secure access code on their census letters from Statistics Canada, which you should have received on or around May 2 or soon will receive them.
This code is one of the measures in place to ensure people can securely complete their census questionnaires online.
Statistics Canada’s prefers Canadians process and file their census forms online.
Data from the 2016 Census is scheduled to be released on Feb. 8, 2017.
