Census Changes in Canada Will Jeopardize Data Quality

Tom Exter, Ph.D., Chief Demographer, Pitney Bowes Business Insight

Recently, the Canadian government announced its decision to eliminate the traditional long-form Census questionnaire with a voluntary National Household Survey (NHS) in conjunction with Census 2011. While some supporters in the government agree with the change, the news has garnered backlash from demographers, geographers, statisticians and much of the population, including Canada’s Chief Statistician, who has resigned his post due to the Minister’s decision.
 

As a professional demographer with Pitney Bowes Business Insight in Toronto, I have used Canadian census results for the past 12 years, especially those generated by the long-form census questionnaire. Without the long-form census sample, valuable information used in both the public and private sector will be lost. In addition to the arguments for reinstating the long-form census presented by many Canadian organizations and professional societies including the Canadian Population Society, I would like to contribute the following considerations:

• A voluntary survey, such as the proposed National Household Survey, would not be a sufficient alternative to the mandatory census sample survey. The traditional one-in-five household sample provides good information for every neighbourhood in Canada. In contrast, information from a voluntary sample survey would be biased, even at the provincial and national level.
• A voluntary sample survey would have a much lower response rate, relative to the mandatory long-form census, and those who do respond would be, by definition, self-selected. Using information from a self-selected sample of unknown and really unknowable bias in health care planning, for example, would have adverse impacts on health care delivery in Canada.
•  Filling out the long form may be onerous, but it is not an “invasion of privacy.” The rigorous confidentiality standards of Statistics Canada actually protect the privacy of Canadians because the individual responses are highly protected and only used in privacy-friendly ways (aggregated to relatively large geographic boundaries, for example) to generate information for businesses and government agencies.

Overall, the long-form census data are a significant contributor to the Canadian economy in both the private and public sectors. Businesses rely on census information to grow and help their customer base. Government agencies plan the delivery of services and the allocation of funds to government programs. The quality and utility of the long-form census data are also a testament to the highly professional staff at Statistics Canada who collect, compile, analyze, and disseminate the data to businesses and communities alike.

The significance of this decision for all users of Canadian demographic data cannot be overstated. Readers are encouraged to voice their concerns directly by writing to:
The Honourable Tony Clement
Minister of Industry
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A OA6

PBBI Canada is interested in your perspectives and questions as well. Please address them to tom.exter@pb.com.