New Canadian Government Announces Reinstatement of Mandatory Long-Form Census

By Steve Pierson posted 11-05-2015 22:09

  
The Canadian government today announced the reinstatement of the mandatory long-form census, with the following statement from the Honorable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development:
As we said throughout the election campaign, we are committed to making evidence-based decisions on programs and policies and to providing better and more timely services to Canadians.

Our plan for open and fair government starts with the reinstatement of the mandatory long-form census. This is integral to implementing our plan for a strong and growing middle class.

Today, Canadians are reclaiming their right to accurate and reliable information. With the 2016 Census of Population program, communities will once again have access to the high-quality data they require to make decisions that will truly reflect the needs of their people, businesses, institutions and organizations.

We committed to setting a higher bar for openness and transparency in Ottawa. Government and its information must be open by default, and it is time to shine more light on government to make sure it remains focused on the people it was created to serve.

With solid community information, together we will deliver a real and fair chance at success for all Canadians.

There had been broad speculation of this possibility since the Canadian election as the below show. Statistics Canada employees were notified today via an email from Chief Statistician Wayne Smith saying, 

Today, the Government of Canada has asked Statistics Canada to immediately reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Statistics Canada is taking the necessary steps to ensure the success of the 2016 Census of Population. I would like to thank all those involved in the implementation of the census for their continued dedication and hard work.
Concerns about the quality of the data from the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS), which replaced the long-form census, emerged immediately after the 2010 decision to make it voluntary, and seems to have been realized with the first release of NHS data in 2013. As also seen in the press clips at this blog entry, there were many calls to reinstate the mandatory census an unsuccessful bill to do so. 

Stakeholders of the American Community Survey (ACS)—the mandatory U.S. survey sent to 3.5 million households annually and that replaced the decennial long-form census in the early 2000's—have watched carefully NHS developments in Canada because of efforts in the U.S. Congress to make the ACS voluntary. For more on the threats to the mandatory ACS, see this blog entry, House Cuts Census Bureau Funding and Votes to Make American Community Survey Voluntary, and the blog entries therein.

Recent press clips:

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