Essential details - MP says long-form census collects useful information

By Arnold Lim - Vic News

It’s been over a month, but outcry regarding the demise of the mandatory long-form census continues to swell.

“It is helpful to know how many Canadians are living in poverty; it helps us to understand how many students are struggling under a burden of debt,” said Denise Savoie, Victoria MP.

“It is very useful to know how Canadians are living ... how far they have to get to work. That is a lot of valuable info to have at all levels of government.”

The federal government’s decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census in favour of a voluntary census in 2011, has raised concerns about the validity of future census information used by governments, businesses and charities.

Conservative MPs have said Canadians should not be forced to disclose their own personal and private information under a threat of fines, jail or both.

Last week, Munir Sheikh, head of Statistics Canada, resigned over the decision.
Savoie said she has referenced information from the long-form census for numerous issues including student debt, child care and housing.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May agrees that keeping the long-form census mandatory is important for Canadians, but acknowledges a legal penalty for non-compliance goes too far. “Neither a voluntary process nor coercion will result in dependable data,” she said in a press release. “If we need to better address privacy concerns, we should do that, but to make it completely voluntary would distort the census data.”

By the federal government’s own numbers, cutting the long-form census will not save money.

Savoie said any potential for invasion of privacy “is a small price to pay for the information. It is not a big intrusion given the value it provides us in making decision.”

alim@vicnews.com