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2011 Canadian census

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The 2011 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population on May 10, 2011. Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, conducts a nationwide census every five years. In 2011, it consisted of a mandatory short form census questionnaire and an inaugural National Household Survey (NHS),[1][2] a voluntary survey which replaced the mandatory long form census questionnaire; this substitution was the focus of much controversy. Completion of the (short form) census is mandatory for all Canadians, and those who do not complete it may face penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences.[3]

2011 Canadian census
← 2006 May 10, 2011 2016 →
General information
CountryCanada
Results
Total population33,476,688 (Increase 5.9%)
Most populous ​province/territoryOntario (12,851,821)
Least populous ​province/territoryNunavut (31,906)

The Statistics Act mandates a Senate and/or House of Commons (joint) committee review of the opt-in clause (for the release of one's census records after 92 years) by 2014.[4]

The 2011 census was the fifteenth decennial census and, like other censuses, was required by section 8 of the Constitution Act, 1867.[5] As with other decennial censuses, the data was used to adjust federal electoral district boundaries.[6]

As of August 24, 2011, Canada's overall collection response rate was 98.1%,[7] up over a percentage point from 96.5% in the 2006 census.[8] Ontario and Prince Edward Island each held the highest response rate at 98.3%, while Nunavut held the lowest response rate at 92.7%.[7]

In an article in the New York Times in August 2015, journalist Stephen Marche argued that by ending the mandatory long-form census in 2011, the federal government "stripped Canada of its capacity to gather information about itself" in the "age of information." Nearly 500 organizations in Canada, including the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Federation of Students, and the Canadian Catholic Council of Bishops protested the decision to replace the long form census in 2011 with a shorter version.[9][10][11]

Questionnaire revision

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Short form

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The original schedule of the short-form questions for the 2011 Census of Population was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on August 21, 2010.[12] The 2011 census consisted of the same eight questions that appeared on the 2006 census short-form questionnaire, with the addition of two questions on language.[13] The federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement's announcement that questions about language would appear on the mandatory short-form census came in response to a lawsuit brought by the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities, which claimed that the voluntary status of the long-form census would impact language-related government services.[12]

In addition to possible questions on activity limitation,[14] various organizations called for the following changes to the 2011 census:

  • Adding "Aboriginal identifier" to the short form (already found on the long form).[15]
  • Relationship of same-sex married couples.[16]
  • Place of work and transportation-related questions.[17]
  • Food security questions.[18]

National Household Survey

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The National Household Survey (NHS) began within four weeks of the May 2011 census and included approximately 4.5 million households.[19] The information collected by the NHS was intended to replace the data from the previous long-form census questionnaire.

Various industry professionals indicated that the data collected by the NHS is not comparable with the data previously collected by the long form questionnaire.[20] Many of the same professionals indicated that the data gathered by a voluntary survey would not be of the same quality as the previous mandatory long form.[21]

Voluntary long-form survey controversy

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Ahead of the 2011 census, the Conservative government announced that the long-form questionnaire would no longer be mandatory. This decision was made by the June 17, 2010 Order in Council, created by the Minister of Industry, defining the questions for the 2011 census as including only the short-form questions. This was published in the Canada Gazette on June 26, 2010;[22] however, a news release was not issued by Minister of Industry Tony Clement until July 13, 2010. This release stated in part "The government will retain the mandatory short form that will collect basic demographic information. To meet the need for additional information, and to respect the privacy wishes of Canadians, the government has introduced the voluntary National Household Survey."[23] On July 30, 2010, Statistics Canada published a description of the National Household Survey, intended to be sent to about 4.5 million households. Industry minister Tony Clement stated that the change to voluntary forms was made because of privacy-related complaints, though he acknowledged that the decision was made without consulting organizations and governments that work closely with Statistics Canada. Clement had previously said that this change was made on the advice of Statistics Canada.[24]

The move was criticized by a number of organizations and individuals and was the subject of some satirical articles.[25] Ivan Fellegi, the former Chief Statistician of Canada, originally appointed in 1985 by the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, said that he would have quit his job if the government had taken this change during his tenure. He claims that those who are most vulnerable (such as the poor, new immigrants, and Aboriginal peoples) are least likely to respond to a voluntary form, which weakens information about those demographic groups.[26] Munir Sheikh, Fellegi's successor as Chief Statistician appointed by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on February 15, 2008,[27] resigned on July 21, 2010 in protest of the Conservative government's change in policy.[28] In a public letter, Sheikh wrote that he could not legally comment on what advice he had given the government regarding the census, but he did comment against the government's decision, writing:

I want to take this opportunity to comment on a technical statistical issue which has become the subject of media discussion. This relates to the question of whether a voluntary survey can become a substitute for a mandatory census. It cannot.[29]

The National Citizens Coalition and the Fraser Institute supported the change.[30]

There were groups against the change from all parts of the political spectrum, and including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities; Atlantic Provinces Economic Council; City of Toronto government; National Statistics Council;[31] Canadian Jewish Congress; Evangelical Fellowship of Canada;[32] Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops;[33] Canadian Medical Association;[34] Statistical Society of Canada; the American Statistical Association;[35] Registered Nurses Association of Ontario; Canadian Conference of the Arts; and the governments of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba.[36]

On July 19, 2010, representatives from several institutions signed a letter expressing their disapproval of the change and their desire to speak to Clement to find another solution. The organizations represented were:

A House of Commons industry committee special hearing on July 27, 2010 heard that during the previous census, out of approximately 12 million forms, 166 complaints were known to be received directly or indirectly.[33] In answer to Clement's claim that those who do not fill out the census risk jail time, Jack Layton, leader of the national New Democratic Party, noted that in the entire history of the census, the government had not prosecuted and jailed a single person for failing to complete the census, and pointed out that the threat could be removed entirely by amending the legislation so that incarceration is no longer a penalty for refusal to complete the census.[37] In response, the government announced plans to introduce legislation to remove the threat of jail time for anyone refusing to fill out any mandatory government surveys.[38]

Some groups have argued that the decision was motivated by a wish to destroy a useful tool for social advocacy, by making it harder to identify and count disadvantaged groups.[39] However, the Conservative government maintains that its reasoning for the cancellation is that they do not believe it is appropriate to force Canadians to divulge detailed personal information under threat of prosecution.[40]

On October 20, 2010, Statistics Canada predicted that a voluntary long-form would result in a decline of total respondents from 94% to 50%. Consequently, they expect a "substantial risk of non-response bias" and plan to "[adapt their] data collection and other procedures to mitigate as much as possible against these risks." The response rate also led them to predict an increased risk of sampling errors, because only 16% of the Canadian population would be surveyed, as opposed to 19% under a mandatory long-form similar to the one in 2006.[41] The government announced in August 2010 that it would spend$30 million on a campaign aimed at increasing the response rate to the voluntary form, but information released by Statistics Canada in December 2010 revealed that half of this money would be required for tasks unrelated to the promotional campaign.[42]

Criticism of the National Household Survey re-emerged in 2013 following the release of the first set of results from the survey.[43][44]

Reforms since 2011

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Private member's bill

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In September 2014, Liberal MP Ted Hsu introduced private member's bill "Bill C-626, An Act to amend the Statistics Act" with the intention of appointing a Chief Statistician and reinstatement of the long-form census in Canada. Despite wide support[45] as often happens with private bills, this failed (at Second Reading), in February 2015.[46]

2016 amendments

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Following the election of the liberal government of Justin Trudeau, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development introduced in the House of Commons Bill C-36, An Act to Amend the Statistics Act on December 7, 2016. The amendments were passed by Royal Assent on December 13, 2017. The Government of Canada press release stated that the amendments were made to the Statistics Act to "ensure that decisions on statistical matters are transparent and are based on professional considerations."[47]

Main article: Statistics Act

2015 reinstatement of Mandatory Long Form Census

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One day after its election in November 2015, the new Liberal government reinstated the mandatory census long form [48] and it was used in the 2016 census.[49]

Data releases

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Population and dwellings

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Rank Province or territory Population as of
2011 census 		Population as of
2006 census 		Change Percent
change
1 Ontario 12,851,821 12,160,282 691,539 Increase  5.7 Increase 
2 Quebec 7,903,001 7,546,131 356,870 Increase  4.7 Increase 
3 British Columbia 4,400,057 4,113,487 286,570 Increase  7.0 Increase 
4 Alberta 3,645,257 3,290,350 354,907 Increase  10.8 Increase 
5 Manitoba 1,208,268 1,148,401 59,867 Increase  5.2 Increase 
6 Saskatchewan 1,033,381 968,157 65,224 Increase  6.7 Increase 
7 Nova Scotia 921,727 913,462 8,265 Increase  0.9 Increase 
8 New Brunswick 751,171 729,997 21,174 Increase  2.9 Increase 
9 Newfoundland and Labrador 514,536 505,469 9,067 Increase  1.8 Increase 
10 Prince Edward Island 140,204 135,851 4,353 Increase  3.2 Increase 
11 Northwest Territories 41,462 41,464 −2 Decrease  0.0 Decrease 
12 Yukon 33,897 30,372 3,525 Increase  11.6 Increase 
13 Nunavut 31,906 29,474 2,432 Increase  8.3 Increase 
Canada 33,476,688 31,612,897 1,863,791 Increase  5.9 Increase 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Household Survey". Statcan.gc.ca. April 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  2. ^ "Statement on 2011 Census". Industry Canada. July 13, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "Has anyone ever been jailed for not filling out the long form census?". Canada.com Blogs. August 4, 2010. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  4. ^ "Bill S-18: An Act to amend the Statistics Act". Archived from the original on July 14, 2006. Retrieved July 3, 2006.
  5. ^ "Constitution Act, 1867". Canlii.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "Elections Canada: General Information". Retrieved July 3, 2006.
  7. ^ a b "2011 Census: Response Rates". Statistics Canada. August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  8. ^ "Census of Population: Detailed information for 2006 (Data accuracy)". Statistics Canada. June 27, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  9. ^ "Information for survey participants". Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  10. ^ Stephen Marche (August 14, 2015). "The Closing of the Canadian Mind". New York Times. Sunday Review. Toronto. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  11. ^ "Students dismayed at government's deepening disregard for accurate data". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  12. ^ a b "Canada Gazette > Part I: Notices and Proposed Regulations > 2010-08-21". Archived from the original on September 23, 2010.
  13. ^ Chase, Steven (August 11, 2010). "Tories make language concession on census". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  14. ^ "2006 Census Consultation Report: Activity Limitation". Retrieved July 3, 2006.
  15. ^ "Congress of Aboriginal Peoples: Annual General Assembly: Resolution 2". April 17, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2006.
  16. ^ "Same-sex marriage supporters say wording of 2006 census discriminates". Canoe. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved July 3, 2006.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ "Transportation Association of Canada: Urban Transportation Council (minutes)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2006.
  18. ^ "Toronto Board of Health: Food Security: Implications for Early Years Population" (PDF). Retrieved July 3, 2006.
  19. ^ "2011 Census questionnaire". August 20, 2010. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  20. ^ "Critics say census changes could result in biased information". Canada.com. July 12, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  21. ^ Sources:
  22. ^ "Canada Gazette – ORDERS IN COUNCIL". Gazette.gc.ca. July 6, 2010. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  23. ^ "Statement on 2011 Census". Government of Canada. 13 July 2010.
  24. ^ Campion-Smith, Bruce (July 16, 2010). "StatsCan recommended move to voluntary census, Tony Clement says". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  25. ^ Wheeldon, Johannes (July 30, 2010). "Introducing the New Hire and Census Form". The Mark News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  26. ^ Ditchburn, Jennifer (July 1, 2010). "Former StatsCan head slams census decision by Tories". The Canadian Press. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  27. ^ "Alumni Announcements". Department of Economics, University of Western Ontario. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  28. ^ Proudfoot, Shannon (July 21, 2010). "StatsCan boss quits over census changes". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  29. ^ Munir A. Sheikh (July 22, 2010). "Media advisory: 2011 Census". Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  30. ^ Gutstein, Donald (July 27, 2010). "Why Attack the Long Census?". The Tyee. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  31. ^ "Siddiqui: Gutting of census stirs opposition to Stephen Harper". The Star. Toronto. July 10, 2010.
  32. ^ "Ditching census upsets faith groups". CBC. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010.
  33. ^ a b Perreaux, Les. "Bishops castigate Clement on census change". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on October 3, 2010.
  34. ^ Campion-Smith, Bruce (July 15, 2010). "Axing long form census threatens health-care improvements, doctors warn". Toronto Star.
  35. ^ Thorne, Stephen. "Don't mess with census, statisticians tell Tories". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  36. ^ Fekete, Jason (6 August 2010). "Census consensus eludes premiers: Several scold Harper". Montreal Gazette. Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  37. ^ "Layton calls for census compromise". CBC. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  38. ^ "Clement amends census changes". CBC News. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  39. ^ Murdoch, Frances Russell. "Opinion Harper's Latest Step in Building 'Tea Party North'". The Tyee.
  40. ^ "Statement on 2011 Census". July 13, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  41. ^ "National Household Survey: data quality". Statistics Canada. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  42. ^ "Government slashes funding for campaign to encourage census participation".
  43. ^ "National household survey data worthless". The Record.com. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  44. ^ "What are household surveys?". www.sogosurvey.com. August 13, 2012.
  45. ^ "Liberal MP's bill to resurrect long-form census voted down on second reading" – via The Globe and Mail.
  46. ^ "Bill 626-An Act to amend the Statistics Act (appointment of Chief Statistician and long-form census)". openparliament.ca. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  47. ^ Government of Canada News Release. "Government of Canada fulfills commitment to give Statistics Canada greater independence". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  48. ^ Campion-Smith, Bruce (November 5, 2015). "Canada's long-form census is back for 2016". The Star [Toronto]. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  49. ^ Guide to the Census of Population, 2016. Statistics Canada. January 5, 2017. pp. Chapter 5 – Census of Population questionnaires.
  50. ^ a b "2011 Census topics and release dates". Statistics Canada. November 11, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  51. ^ "National Household Survey – Topics and release dates, 2011". Statistics Canada. April 30, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
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